Dot Hack Vision
by Stance
Summary: Dot Hack Vision takes place during the actual Dot Hack time line, the perspective of the chapters varies between characters. You will experience the events of the Anime through the eyes of the Crimson Knight Stance, or his best friend Dash.
1. Chapter 1

I'm pleased to see you are interested in .hack//vision, I thank you. Just some quick notes; this story takes place during the actual Dot Hack time line, the perspective of the chapters varies between characters. But to start off I introduce to you; Stance a Crimson Knight. Again I can stress enough; the characters in this fan fiction will have a minor impact on the main story at best. Please feel free to message me, should you have any questions, or comments. If you should notice any grammar errors, or spelling errors, please alert me as soon as possible.

** .Hack****//Vision**

Chapter 1: Just Crim.

Important events in the .hack Time line: Crim Quitting the Crimson Knights,

Prespective: Stance

As I booted my terminal up I couldn't't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. I watched as the altimit logo flashed on the screen, I was at my desktop. The new mail icon flashed, I quickly opened my e-mail's in box and found a new email from Silver Knight, the subject read: Meeting, The body of the email had a date, and a time. I panicked, the meeting was just about to start, and I quickly opened up "The World", and logged in as fast as possible. I grabbed the Head Mounted Display from my desk and slipped it on. It was as if I have taken control of another person that was the Best thing about this game….The World.

The Black screen slowly faded and the breathtaking view of Mac Anu replaced it. I walked down the steps in front of the capital building; the view was incredible I never get tired of seeing it. I snapped back into reality and rushed off to the meeting. As I arrived I could hear the sound of people arguing in the distance, I had to adjust the volume on my head mounted display, I quietly slipped into my proper position in my squad. Silver Knight and Crim were fighting once again. This was starting to become an every day thing with the knights. The fighting just got worse, until finally Crim said the two words no one expected…..

**I, Quit…**

The Room fell in silence as Crim walked toward the exit, suddenly the entire room exploded in Chatter, I couldn't't hear anything, all the yelling was blurring together. I could see Lady Subaru trying to speak but her words were drowned out by the constant chatter. "Silence" Silver Knight suddenly Yelled, It echoed around the room, and the room fell Silent once more. Lady Subaru stood up, "You are all dismissed". The knights saluted as perusal, and made their way out of the room. I quickly looked around the room for Salu, It was impossible to spot him in the crowd, so I targeted each knight until I found the correct one. I ran over to Salu, He seemed as shocked as I was. He turned to me and began to speak, but then he stopped and logged out. I stood in silence, I turned around and took a long glance at Silver Knight, And lady Subaru. I was the last one to leave the Meeting Room.

I walked down the Alleys of Mac Anu lost in thought. I bumped into another player, although I didn't actually feel anything it still startled me, the player was lying on the floor. He was a wave master, with silver hair and Tanned robes. I lowered my hand to assist him "Sorry "I said holding my hand out. The wave master ignored me and got up himself, He walked right past me. _Ok…._ I reached the Chaos gate; I looked back on Mac Anu. Then turned to the Chaos gate and logged out. I took the Head Mounted Display off my head. It's hard to believe crim had quit the knights, I never really agreed with his methods, although; I think the knights can manage with out him. But could lady Subaru handle it? I peered out my bedroom window; I remember when I first joined the crimson knights… It was my first day playing the game; a high level player had followed me into a newbie area, she was just about to PK me when Silver Knight himself has stepped in and fought her off. From that day on I worked hard so that one day I would be accepted into the Crimson Knights, and sure enough…I was


	2. Chapter 2

_**.Hack**____**Vision**_

Chapter 2: Role-Play

Important events in the .hack Timeline: Crimson Knights make first attempt to Question Tsukasa about the Cat Player

Perspective: Stance

I woke up late in the day and getting out of bed was a chore all in itself. I dragged myself out of the bed and over to my terminal and logged on. I had no new mail and so I decided to log into The World. It's not like I had anything else to do at the moment. As I logged in I was greeted with the same breath taking view as always. I quickly made my way to the Bridge in central Mac Anu but I was interrupted. Silver Knight was standing in front of me. "I require your assistance Stance, please come with me" he said and I quickly nodded, "Yes of course "I said moving to him. I was surprised to see Salu there with him as well. He turned to us both and started speaking, "Many players have reported seeing a cat-like player in fields and dungeons but just recently we have received reports of this cat player being seen in root towns with a Wave Master" he explained. "Thanks to a recent report we now have the wave master's name: Tsukasa.

Tsukasa……

We have tracked down this player and will confront him at **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master.** "So we are dealing with a hacked character" I asked Silver Knight. "Yes, we have double checked with a system administrator, this type of character does not exist within the normal parameters of, The World. We made preparations and then made our way to **Θ **Server. We warped to the appropriate area, Silver Knight Pointed to a distant wind mill. Salu and I nodded and followed close behind. The Wave Master...Tsukasa, Heard us coming and he quickly sprang to his feet. "We're not here to fight" Silver Knight said. Salu and I jammed our swords into the ground as a sign of peace.

"Greetings we're the 13th Squadron of the Crimson Knights, I'm sure you've heard of us" Silver Knight said with a friendly Smile. _My turn… _"We Crimson Knights value Courage, Civility, and tolerance. We were formed to look after The World and ensure its smooth operation." I said, "We are constantly keeping watch for any illegal activities inside The World" Salu said. Tsukasa stalled for a moment before responding, "Then I'm of no interest to you" he retorted. Silver Knight interrupted me before I could respond, "You're wrong, we are interested in all who come to The World" Silver Knight said "Just a few days ago you were seen with a mock cat player am I correct?" Silver Knight asked Tsukasa paused for a moment, "cat...that is…?" Tsukasa said softly.

"Someone saw you in the presence of this player" I said._ Does he really know anything?_ "That character was obviously edited illegally" Salu said. "We cannot ignore this fact, however we do not intend to cause you any trouble" Silver Knight said. Tsukasa stood there with a confused expression on his face. "Is this cat player male or female? we need more information, where can we find that player?" Silver Knight said, Tsukasa stood there unresponsive,"We wont inconvenience you any further I promise you that" Silver Knight repeated with a friendly smile. Tsukasa just stood there unresponsive until suddenly he threw his hand into the air and he gated out of the area it caught us of guard and we readied our weapons. "He ran" I said, Silver Knight stood at ease, "We may need to monitor him" He said. _Why did he run away? _Silver Knight muttered under his breath I snapped to attention "Your orders?" I asked Silver Knight.

He turned to me with an annoyed frown on his face. "Stand guard here while Salu and I round up a guard team" he said before they both warped out of the area. I looked at the area where Tsukasa had been sitting. Walking over to it I plopped down on the soft grass and looked off in the distance, _why did he run…He is obviously hiding something. _I sat there until the guard team arrived. They walked over to me and relieved me of my post. Standing up I glanced around the area once more before gating out; leaving the area behind. I returned to Dun Lorieg a city in the skies.

There were many walk ways made of wood that were scattered across the city. I turned back to the Chaos gate, ready to log out when I was confronted by a strange female player. Her name read Nio when I targeted her, her avatar was crying. She looked up at me and said "You! Are you a Crimson Knight?" sounding depressed. "Yes, may I assist you in anyway?" I said. Her character was small, reminiscent of a small child even. Whiping the tears away from her eyes she said, "I've been PKed Twice in the same area, please help me" _I've seen this tactic before; who does she think she's fooling? _"Alright, what area were you PKed in?" I asked.

She paused for a moment, "here I'll show you!" _That seals it, a trap. _I followed her to **Θ Unmatched Destroyer's Fort Walls… **The area was dark and gloomy, it seemed like it was ready to rain at any moment. I looked around at many of the numerous stone statues and passed them I could make out the dungeon entrance off in the distance. It was a large fort tattered with flags and such that suited it well. Nio finally warped into the area, "Come on, it's over here!" she yelled as she darted straight towards the dungeon, dodging every magic portal, she quickly ran inside. _I don't know if I can beat her…but I've got to try. _"It is not easy, to act in the name of justice…"

I sighed out loud as I entered the dungeon knowing exactly what I was getting into. The dungeon was reminiscent of an old dungeon, a long hallway stood before me, I quickly scanned the room for anyone, but it was empty. I kept on moving, going deeper into the dungeon. The second room was empty as well. _There are no magic portals; she obviously cleared the area out._ I moved into the next room, it held a jail cell and I could see the skeletal remains of three human beings inside of it but neither players, nor magic portals were visible.

I slowly made my way to the next room, it was large and was being held up by chains connecting it to the surrounding walls, it looked as if the platform could collapse at any moment. I walked to the center of the room cautiously, quickly looking around. I could feel eyes peering at me through the darkness. Its strange how a 'net game can invoke emotions like paranoia and fear. I quickly drew my sword. "Suvi Lei!" someone had cast a spell on me and I could no longer move my avatar. I was paralyzed! _Damnit _Nio Moved out of the shadows with a wicked grin and examined me. "That was almost too easy" she taunted. However, before I could speak another figure stepped out of the shadows,

"Well now, I didn't expect such a fine catch". The female came closer to me and put her finger between my eyes, laughing. "So now your lackeys are doing the fighting for you, 'eh Kaochin?" I asked. "Oh no, no, no, this is not a fight, it's an execution!" she declared. Quickly becoming bored with the current situation, Kaochin started to speak but I quickly interrupted her. "Yes, yes, can we please get this over with, you're about as stale as every other Subaru clone out there" I said hoping to strike a nerve. . . I succeeded. She became furious, her avatar showing the emotion surprisingly well, she brought her axe up over her head, bringing it crashing down.

Luckily both Nio and Kaochin hadn't noticed the paralyzing spell had worn off, and I quickly brought my sword up to counter her attack, halting her axe mid-swing. Both of us jumped back and faced off but she had the advantage due to Nio. I was outnumbered. But I wasn't about to run no matter what the odds and just as I prepared for the dreaded battle Kaochin laughed manically. Finally Nio took the initiative and ended the stand off. She quickly attempted to paralyze me again but this time the spell had no effect, I had resisted the spell entirely and I knew I had to strike first and fast if I could would even have a chance to reach Nio before she released another spell. I just may be able to take her down if I don't hesitate.

I dashed towards Nio but Kaochin swung her axe horizontally cutting my path off half-way. I was barely able to stop myself from walking head first into her attack. Nio had used this opportunity to retreat farther away from me and now with Kaochin blocking my way I had no choice but to focus on her. She started her attack. Her blows were powerful and all she needed was one hit to seriously injure me. Her attacks were powerful but she was slow. I was able to avoid all of her attacks successfully until Nio cast _Dek Do _on me, a spell that lowered my speed. Then she cast _AP Do _on Kaochin, Making her faster than me. It was over, there was no way I could dodge her now. Kaochin laughed as she walked over to me, although with her speed it seemed more like a sprint. She brought her axe up over my head but suddenly she froze.

Kaochin had been paralyzed; I slowly looked behind her at Nio. Pink hearts were dazzling around her head. _She's charmed, but who or what could have done it!?_ Out of the shadows emerged another player. He held his halberd, the weapon of a Long Arm class up right and had a sly grin on his face. "I had a feeling that scroll would come in handy!" the player said enthusiastically. It was dark, I couldn't see the other player very well but I knew immediately who it was, "Always a pleasure dash" I said as the spell, _Dek Do _wore off.

Kaochin was still frozen in place while Nio kept casting weakening spells on her. I found it amusing because both of them were shouting at one another. I walked over to dash and we formed a party. "You can have the Wave Master. " I said to Dash. I then made my way over to the still frozen Kaochin, "But I want Kaochin..." I said. "Are you going to kill me like this? That's not very honorable!" Kaochin yelled. I fumbled through my inventory and found an Antidote, I used it on Kaochin; her abnormalities were removed. "There, now you will face me without the help of your friend." I said readying my sword. Kaochin was furious; she charged at me and swung her axe furiously. I dodged to the side and quickly counter attacked by cleaving at her side with a horizontal swipe.

My attack drained about a third of her health,_ it's not much, but if I can keep this up, I can defeat her_. She quickly swung her Axe in a diagonal sweep. I couldn't get out of the way in time so I brought my sword up to parry the attack but her own attack was much too powerful and she was able to damage me; my own health falling by half. She stopped to taunt me, it was her mistake. I quickly dashed in and attacked her as before, and managed to land two blows. She was now at one third of her normal health. The next blow would finish it. We both charged forward, "Axel Pain! " Kaochin shouted. "Anid Spiral "I yelled. Both of us had used a skill but unfortunately for Kaochin, her skill made her spin horizontally and swing her axe. My skill made me jump into the air, and it brought my sword crashing down on her head. Her body spun out of control and fell over, draining the last of her hit points. She turned grey and faded out of the area. "That's that I suppose..."

I looked over at dash that stood next to Nio. She was paralyzed and was unable to move. "What are you doing!?" I asked him with true uncertainty. "Oh! These scrolls don't sell for a lot. I suppose I found a use for them after all" he said smiling. During our short conversation the effects of the scrolls wore off and Nio ran desperately toward the exit, escaping. "Damnit, you let her get away!" I yelled as I turned back to Dash. He turned towards me, "Hey, relax, its not like she ended up doing anything major here. The real villain here was Kaochin" Dash said "That's not the point, she knew the consequences of her actions and she did this for the soul reason of killing a Crimson Knight.

I cannot just let that go!" I said aloud, feeling the same pride arousing that I felt when I first joined the knights. Dash threw his halberd over his shoulders, "'Naw, you're just jumping to conclusions. She was obviously a weaker character than Kaochin and was most likely just a pawn". I sheathed my weapon, a long sword accustomed to all Crimson Knights. "Fine, but if I get any more reports of an incident like this involving that player I will hold you responsible" I said sternly. "Whatever you say" Dash said with a shrug. "What about Kaochin, She really wanted you dead, why did she want to kill you so badly?" He said looking to me curiously. "My first day in The World I was targeted by a player killer, that "PKer" was Kaochin.

However, her attempt was foiled when I was saved by Silver Knight. She normally only targets normal players but recently she has began luring Crimson Knights into her traps." Dash started to speak but my attention was centered on the chat log at the bottom of my screen. I had received a flash mail from Silver Knight.

**Meet me at Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master**

Dash looked at me with an awkward expression that I didn't quite understand, "Duty Calling?" he asked, tapping his halberd against his shoulder. "That's fine; I have to log out anyway. See you tomorrow Stance and don't forget, there is more to this world than enforcing laws and regulations" he said with a smile as he waved to me casually. Then before I could even respond he warped out of the dungeon. I looked up at the stone walls in thought. _I enforce these laws set by players so that other players can enjoy the game._ I thought about what the world would be like without the knights, with out other players enforcing their own laws, _Perhaps players would take it on themselves to stop PKing, and Hacking… _The answer was unclear;

I didn't want to think about it. I looked back down at my chat log. _I need to meet Silver Knight_. I fumbled through my inventory until I found a Sprite Ocarina. I gated out of the area and found myself in Dun Lorieg again. I removed my HMD and wiped the sweat off of my face. The run-in with Kaochin had been intense. _Duty calls..._ I thought as I put my HMD back over my face. I looked at my Keyword History and found **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master **I warped to the area and looked around. _Where is he?_ Suddenly I heard a faint sound in the distance. _Could it be fighting? _"Where is….there, the dungeon?" As I made my way to the dungeon I heard a scream unlike any I had ever heard in The World. It sounded muffled and brought chills up my neck. So much so that I stopped in my tracks, _what the hell was that?_ I ran as fast as I could to the dungeon and approached the entrance with caution. I peeked around the corner and there stood Tsukasa, with a grin on his face. In front of him lay Silver Knight. I quickly drew my sword and charged into the entrance but Tsukasa warped out of the area. I walked over to Sliver Knight's corpse

"Damnit!" I yelled. I thought about what I should do but something abnormal caught my eye. His corpse just stayed there. It didn't disappear as it should have. I tried using a resurrect item on him but it had no effect. _He isn't disappearing..._ "The captain was defeated by him…" I said coldly. I quickly gated back to Dun Lorieg and waited for Silver Knight to come back but he didn't. It said he was logged in and I even tried flash mailing him but it did not warrant a response. I had to assume he was missing. It wasn't like Silver Knight to just up and leave at a time like this. I logged out and opened my mailbox:

**Attention all Knights**

**This is Stance, 1****s****t Lieutenant of squad 13. I've been unable to contact Silver Knight after he was defeated by the Wave Master Tsukasa. Due to his absence I will now take over his duties. This is an order to all squads in the Crimson Knights. We are officially on the lookout for a Wave Master named Tsukasa. We have reason to believe he is aiding hackers. He has proven himself uncooperative however, it is uncertain if he himself killed Silver Knight but I did find him standing over Silver Knight's Corpse. If you locate this Wave Master you will detain him for questioning. Make sure he does not endanger any other players and because his actions are erratic do not take any risks.**

**-Stance**

I removed my HMD, It was late and the knights were alerted. I went over to my bed and lay down uneasily. _Why did Silver Knight go in alone? If he would have just waited then I could have helped him._" I said aloud before closing my eyes, "A stunt to prove he was better than crim most likely." It was only Saturday and I would have Sunday off. I would have to explain my self to Subaru no doubt. A part of me wished I didn't give out that order but I don't dwell on the past.

I slowly drifted to sleep...


	3. Chapter 3

**.Hack****Vision**

Chapter 3: Guardian

Important events in the .hack Timeline: The hunt for Tsukasa begins

Perspective: Stance

I forced myself out of bed fairly early today and I sluggishly walked downstairs to get something to eat. _Mom and Dad must be out_, I thought as I made my way to the kitchen; the house was empty. I opened the refrigerator and threw a pre-packaged meal into the oven. After setting the timer I ran up stairs to check my email. I had received an email from Silver Knight. I quickly opened it.

**Attention All Knights**

**This is Silver Knight, I must first apologize for my absence, you see, after I was killed by that Wave Master, I passed out in front of my terminal. I have never before shown symptoms like this, so it is not normal. During my fight with Tsukasa, a strange monster appeared, something I had never seen in all my time playing The World. It killed me in one hit by piercing me with some strange attack and my entire body convulsed terribly in and outside of the world. Perhaps this is a variation of "Deadly Flash" but regardless, I've discussed this with Subaru and CC corp. CC corp. will allow us to carry out an investigation, and it has been Ok'd by Lady Subaru herself. Therefore, we will stay with the orders that Stance specified last night. **

**Squads 1 through 3 will guard Δ Server. **

**Squads 4 through 8 will guard Θ Server, **

**Squads 9 through 11 will guard Λ server**

**Squads 12through 13 will Guard Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master**

**I will be offline due to complications with this altercation. While I'm away Stance is of course in charge of this operation**

_Passed out? He was killed in game and it affected his real life state!?! I noticed another email had arrived._

**Stance, you did the right thing last night and proved yourself to be a worthy knight, great job.**

_Hmm, of course I did the right thing. I just followed orders but why did Silver Knight attempt to attack Tsukasa alone; it was completely unlike him. I had come to the conclusion that he was trying to prove himself to be better than Crim and it completely blew my mind that he actually wanted to prove that he was better. Another email arrived shortly there after to my surprise. _

**Stance, Silver Knight put you in charge of this operation, As soon as you long on. I would like you to check in with each guard team I would like you to put together a report and will be waiting in Mac Anu.**

**-Subaru**

_Looks like waking up early was a smart decision. _The buzzer for the oven's timer suddenly sounded downstairs. I hurried down and took the pre-packaged curry from the oven. _I absolutely hate pre-packaged food but my options were limited_. I sat down at the table and ate the curry with extreme disgust. After I had eaten all I could stand, I made my way back upstairs and quickly sent an email to Dash, telling him I may be busy all day today. I then logged into The World. _Subaru wanted me to check in with the guard teams..._I was in the **Θ** server, so I might as well check the teams posted here and in **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master.**

The team leaders were right there at the gate, ready to capture Tsukasa should he warp into this server. They looked at me and quickly saluted, "Sir!" All three of them shouted as they saluted. I walked over to them, returning the salute and trying to appear as bold and confident as Silver Knight, "Report on your current status, have you seen the Wave Master, Tsukasa?" The senior knight of the three spoke up and said, "No sir, we've yet to make contact with the fugitive but we will continue our guard duties here without relief." I nodded in approval, "Very good." I then made my way to the chaos gate and input the coordinates, **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master,** warping to the field. As I was transported into the field I was nearly ran over by a Knight on patrol. He was riding on a grunty. I quickly rolled out of the way; the Knight slowed down and hopped off his grunty. "Please forgive me sir!" he said saluting.

"At ease Knight, have you seen the Wave Master, Tsukasa?" I asked. "Yes sir, He warped into the area about two hours ago. He was able to out run us, so we've started using gruntys to aid in our patrol" He said as he pointed back to his grunty. The grunty walked up and licked the Knight, "Oh, Mon ami, do you need me?" _Using a Grunty to patrol The World..._ "A noble grunty, you have my sympathies Knight." I said just before gating out. I appeared back in Dun Loireag and looked up at the cloudy sky._ My next stop would be Λ server and then finally to Mac Anu where I would report to Subaru_... I opened the chaos gate menu, and warped to Λ server. Appearing in the Λ server, Carmina Gadelica, a city always blanketed in darkness but with the constant chatter of players and a combination of the lights of the buildings that reflected off the water's surface made this place seem livelier than every other server in

The World. I glanced around the area and a knight quickly ran up to me. "Sir!" he said saluting. I saluted him back as our standard greeting. "Has the Wave Master, Tsukasa come through here?" He stood there in thought for a moment, "No sir, he hasn't come through here yet." shaking his head at me I replied steadily, "Very well, keep up the good work." I saluted him and then walked back to the chaos gate where I warped to Mac Anu. As I warped in Salu ran up to greet me, "Good morning sir" he said saluting with an enthusiastic attitude that I did not expect. "I've already asked the squads in this root town, Tsukasa has not been spotted in this server."_ Well that takes care of the information gathering; Tsukasa must be at__**Θ**__ serer, now to report to Subaru._ "Salu, I've got to report my findings to Subaru, your presence is required" I said. "Yes sir" he replied with a smile. We made our way over the bridge in the Center of Mac Anu; I could see Subaru on her boat in the canal from there.

We made our way down to the dock in front of the weapon shop and waited as the boat floated up to the dock. Both Salu and I stepped onto it. Subaru looked to me, and then turned back around. _She seems angry, but why? Could it be Silver Knight's irrational action against Tsukasa? The boat drifted away from the docks and I decided to start my report_. "Starting with the field where we first encountered the wave master Tsukasa, our surveillance troops are currently working around the clock." Not bothering to turn and face me, "Is that going to be sufficient" Subaru said with a firm tone. "No matter where this Wave Master goes, he must first pass through "Chaos Gate". After all, In Root Towns there is no other means of movement with the exception of the gate. As long as we're guarding the gate, it's only a matter of time" I said. "Well then, have you heard anything from the Silver Knight recently?" she asked. _I've gotten the same emails; she's gotten from him , but it doesn't hurt to check and see if he is online. _ I opened my party menu and looked at Silver Knights status:

**Offline**

"No, He isn't logged on right now m'lady" I said to her. "Why-why did this happen?" Subaru asked out loud, her voice faltering for a moment. _Silver_ _Knight went off on his own, if I were with him_… If-if only I were with him" I sighed. "There is no need to regret what happened in the past, for now we only need to learn the truth" Subaru said, trying to reassure me. "Yes" I replied. "And please, try to refrain from going off on your own. This is not a time for heroes" Subaru said firmly. _There is no mistake,_ _she is angry with Silver Knight._ "Yes, but I…" I mistakenly sighed aloud. Subaru slowly turned around. "The captain was…" I started but quickly stopped myself. "Yes, go on" Subaru said, sounding a little annoyed. _I can't back out of this now; I've got to tell her. I don't want her exploding in anger at Silver Knight as soon as he returns_.

"Perhaps you were not aware m'lady but the captain was very fond of you. As a knight it is possible that he felt a rivalry toward Crim. Subaru squinted her eyes and I could feel her glare burning right through me. _I've angered her…_The boat hit the side of the dock lightly and Subaru walked towards the edge. I quickly kneeled near her incase she needed support. "But please m'lady, I pray you will not blame him for that" I said trying my best not to anger her more. Subaru turned her back to me, "You are dismissed." She said firmly._ I believe I've just thrown salt into the wound_. As I walked off the boat I heard Subaru say, "Crim…huh?" I walked back to the capital building with Salu in step behind me. As I approached the gate one of the guards looked at me "Sir" he said, standing at attention. "Any news?" I asked. "Nothing unusual" He said with a bow. Before I could speak again I was interrupted by the sound of a player gating into Mac Anu. _Could it be Tsukasa!?_ I quickly focused my attention on the chaos gate and when the player turned around I got a clear view of his face my; my gut feeling was satisfied. "That's him!" I shouted, unsheathing my sword. "Don't let him get away" another guard shouted. Tsukasa quickly warped out of town and avoided our approach. Salu hastily turned to me, "Now we know he's on this server" he said to me. "We'll apprehend him when he makes an attempt to log out of the world. Make no mistake, soon we will have this wave master" I said. Salu solemnly nodded in agreement.

"Salu, you should return to squad 13" I advised. "And what about you sir?" Before I could answer the sound of another player gating in sounded around the area. "Quickly!" I shouted all four of us running up to the chaos gate; our swords drawn. When the player finally appeared we moved closer, ready to attack. "Whoa! What's going on? Aren't you guys on Stance's side!?" The player yelled in what seemed to be utter surprise. "Sheath your weapons!" I ordered. "Impeccable timing as always, Dash" I said as I walked up to Dash. "I guess you guys are on edge, what happened?" _I can't tell him _what_ happened to Silver Knight, at least not yet. "_We are currently on the look out for a Wave Master that goes by the name, Tsukasa." Dash stood there with a puzzled look on his face, "Tsukasa? That's an odd name, what did this "Tsukasa" do anyway?" Salu shot me a quick glance. "I cannot reveal that information at this time" I replied to dash with a firm tone.

"This player must be top priority if that's the case, is he a hacker, assuming that this, Tsukasa is a guy?" Dash said putting his hand to his chin and thinking. "As I said, I am not at liberty to release such information" I repeated. Dash looked at me with disappointment, "So you won't tell me anything huh?" he said with a frown. "Orders are orders." I said. "Fair enough, but can you at least tell me what he looks like? If I see him I'll send you a flash mail. This "Tsukasa" seems like he's a real pain." I thought for a moment and agreed with myself that Dash may prove to be useful in more quickly locating Tsukasa. "His hair is grey, he wears tan robes and his staff has a red jewel in the middle of it. He is also some how connected to a, "cat" player. If you spot either of them please inform me or any of the other knights right away. _That's actually a great idea…We can't have eyes everywhere within The World…If we seek help from the players…_

" I reassured myself. "Dash, wait right here." I quickly turned around and ran back to the docks. _If I am fast enough_… Luckily I was. Subaru hadn't left yet. I ran to the dock and quickly kneeled down before Subaru. "M'lady, please excuse my interruption but I believe I may have an idea that will aid us in our search" I said. Subaru turned around and looked at me, "Yes, what is it?" sounding interested. "M'lady, we could alert the players of this threat, if we alert the players we are almost certain to find him in a much quicker pace." Lady Subaru thought for a moment, "I don't think many players would be as cooperative as you believe Stance." _Sadly, she is most likely right…_

"M'lady, we could perhaps offer a reward for information!" I said. Subaru stopped to think again and then she looked at me with agreement "Very well, you will make a post on the message board. Inform the players of Tsukasa's actions." I stood up and looked her in the eyes, "Shall I tell them everything m'lady?" Subaru returned my watchful expression with one of solitude and firmness. "If we are to ask the players for help then we must trust them with all the facts and tell them everything." I bowed to Subaru and ran back to the Chaos Gate. I quickly ran passed Dash, "check the board in five minutes!" I said before logging out. Returning to The World's login screen, I logged on to the Message board. There were a lot of new messages but I had no time to read them. I rarely checked the board anyways. I chose the option to start a new thread and started composing the post which read:

**Attention players of The World.**

**My name is Stance, a Crimson Knight. Recently one of our own was attacked by a renegade Wave Master that goes by the name of Tsukasa. He is dressed in tan robes and carries a staff with a red jewel in the middle of it. This Wave Master is a suspected hacker on more than one account. He even knocked one of our Knights unconscious in the real world. I know what I am asking you to believe seems completely impossible but this is no joke. We suspect that this Wave Master is using a virus or maybe a variation of, "Deadly Flash". If you see this Wave Master, for your own safety do not try to engage him in combat. We advise that you find a Crimson Knight and tell him immediately of this hacker's location. Any information given will be rewarded to any player that provides us with factual information on the whereabouts of this hacker. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.**

I looked over the post a few times and when I was satisfied with it I posted the message. I stood up from my chair and started to stretch. Yawning, I went over to my clock; it was just now noon. I yawned again and went to open my window when suddenly my cell phone started to ring. I picked it up from my desk and looked at the number. It was Dash or James as he is called in the real world. I answered the phone, "Hello?" _I wonder if he's read the post already_. "Hey, you seemed uneasy today Kane, and now I know why. I read your post on the BBS; do you really think this player is using "Deadly Flash"? I mean, is it even possible to use that in a game like The World?" I thought for a moment," I don't actually think its "Deadly Flash" but a variation of it, or a entirely new virus but the real problem is that he is able to effect players in the real world by killing them in game" I explained.

"An entirely new virus? Are you telling me that The World is dangerous now? How do you plan to stop something like that within the normal boundaries of The World anyways?" James asked with a worried tone. _I hadn't thought about this, what's to stop this player from spreading the virus to other hackers?_ "Normally we deal with a hacker by binding their character to a field thus making him or her unable to log out and then if the situation warrants it, a system administrator will delete the troublesome character. However, I'm sure this time the system administrator will take more drastic actions than deletion. Hopefully he will locate this player in the real world and have him arrested before other people get their hands on this virus and more innocents are hurt" I explained. "I see, have you spoken with the system administrator yet?"

James asked. "I myself have not, but the capt-…I mean my superior has and all they've done is authorize us to capture him" I said, rubbing my forehead. "That's all? They don't seem too concerned with this player character. Are you sure the knights can handle something like this?" James said cautiously. "Relax James; I'm positive the knights can handle something like this. All we have to do is catch this player first. After that justice will be served." I said reassuringly. "Yeah, fine, I'm sure you knights will do your part but still…It's hard to believe that it might not be safe to play The World" James said. Before I could say anything else I received an email from one of my squad mates.

**Sir, we've received multiple reports of PKers in the following area ****Δ Detestable Distrusting Wave master****. So far we've been able to gather the names of three PKers who are reportedly there. Kaochin, Nio, and Arata. Their may be more but if so we are unable to confirm it at this time. **

**Your orders sir?**

_Kaochin, and nio are at it again, but this time with a third PKer at their side._

I fired off a reply to my fellow knight,

**Stay at your post, I will handle this.**

"Hello? Hello!?" James yelled into the phone. "James, can you meet me in front of Mac Anu's Chaos Gate?" I asked with a stern voice. James seemed to think it over for a moment. "Alright, I'll be right there." He finally said. I quickly logged back into the world to wait for Dash. When he entered the area I sent him a party invitation right away. He quickly accepted it and I switched over to party chat. "Dash, we're heading to, **Δ Detestable Distrusting Wave master.**"He nodded and we made our way to the area. The field was covered in sand and it was hard to see due to the heat blurring my vision. Just then Dash warped in beside me. I turned to him, offering an item through the trade window, "Here, take this and equip It now." I said as he accepted the gift. After a moment Dash's character faded out and faded back into view, but this time he was clad in the standard armor of all Crimson Knights.

"What!? So you have armor that changes your appearance? Are you sure this is alright?" Dash said looking over his new characters body with excitement and surprise. "Normally it would not be allowed to give standard issued Crimson Knight armor to a normal player but I did say you were responsible should that Wave Master; Nio, kill any other players. You will deal with her on behalf of the Crimson Knights Dash." Dash sighed aloud, "Right, right…I remember. I didn't think you were serious though. Oh well, where to?" I looked his character over thoroughly. _A nice fit..._ "Alright cadet, we will make our way to the dungeon of this area" I said to him firmly. "Cadet…Right…After you…Ugh...Sir" he muttered. We made our way to the dungeon, giant cacti and large stone towers were littered throughout the area. We finally made it to the entrance of the dungeon. It was a corpse of a giant dragon. Dash stopped in front of the entrance "Well, they couldn't have picked a better area, huh?" he smirked. The inside of the dungeon was disgusting to look at. It was made entirely out of flesh and parts of the walls would occasionally move. We continued down the long corridor and entered the second room where I heard talking in the next room ahead. "Get ready I whispered. Follow in behind me Dash" I said beckoning him to come with me. The third room was shaped like a giant T; in the middle I could see three players talking. I walked up to them, and they still hadn't noticed me. "By the authority of the Crimson Knights, I will ask you once to cease your Player Killing activities and allow safe passage for those wishing to explore this dungeon!" I yelled and it echoed around the room, projecting my voice in a deep lawful manner. Kaochin, Nio and Arata all looked at me simultaneously.

"See! I told you one of them would come if we keep this up!" Kaochin shouted to the other two, "Hey! This one brought backup!" Shouted Nio. "Look at him, he has a halberd!" Kaochin laughed manically. "I thought all knights were supposed to be blade masters!?" Arata shouted from beside Kaochin. "They must be desperate for members. It's a shame they didn't choose a more useful class, like Heavy Axmen" Kaochin shouted. Dash stepped forward, "What was that? I guess you're underestimating the Long Arm class" he said with the usual air of confidence evident in his voice. "You have ignored our warnings, now…Defend yourselves!" I stepped in, unsheathing my weapon. I quickly dashed right towards Nio. If we are to win then we will have to defeat her first. Dash followed my lead and charged straight towards Kaochin, beginning his assault. I brought my sword down over Nio but she parried it with her staff. I know that if I keep at it she will eventually drop her guard. Suddenly she stumbled backwards from the recoil of my attack and I found my opening.

"Gan Crack!" I yelled as I bombarded her with quick slashes and cuts. Nio fell over dead but her ghost remained harmlessly. When I looked, Dash was backed into a corner with both Kaochin and Arata attacking him "Rai Tempest" Dash yelled out bringing his halberd over his head and swinging diagonally, cutting into Arata. Then he quickly spun it backwards, bringing it crashing down on to Kaochin with devastating power. The attack left both of them on the floor, and with a third of their health missing. Dash looked down at them both with a smile on his face, laying his halberd against his shoulder. "You two look surprised. I guess you didn't know that Long Arm classes can attack multiple opponents at once." He said. After pausing for a moment he brought his halberd back into combat position. I walked over to Kaochin and Arata, "Both of you get up, now!" I yelled fiercely. Kaochin slowly stood up and I could clearly tell she was angry. "I will not…be bested…by the likes of you!" She yelled out. Suddenly both of their health bars filled up and Nio was revived. "Their healing!" I yelled back to Dash. "It's now or never!"

Dash yelled out as he ran pass me, clearly anticipating their plot and directly ran towards Kaochin. Nio unleashed a barrage of weakening magic before he could reach her however and he was instantly frozen in place due to paralysis. Kaochin walked up to Dash, "I want to learn the identity of this player" she said trying to lift his helmet off. Dash's helmet slid off revealing his face. "You're that player from the other day! That means..." She looked at me, her face growing wiry with anger, "You're stance!" She yelled pointing at me. I quickly ran towards Kaochin but I was frozen in place by Nio's paralyzing spell. Nio prepared to use an attack spell on me, "Vak Don" she yelled, Balls of lighting appeared over me but suddenly a strange female player jumped over my character and ran right into Nio. "Typhoon Blade!" She yelled as she attacked nio three times simultaneously. Nio fell over dead. Nio's spell had stopped as well due to the event of her death. Both Dash and I recovered from our paralysis. I quickly took advantage of Kaochin's daze and charged toward her.

She wasn't looking in my direction when I reached her, "Eyes on your opponent!" I yelled as my sword plunged forward, Kaochin turned toward me just in time for my sword to pierce her chest. I quickly pulled it out and Kaochin fell to her knees. "Justice will always prevail" I said to her triumphantly before kicking her over the edge into the pit and thus killing her. Dash charged toward Arata "Let's see how your sword compares to my halberd!" he yelled as he reached Arata. Arata quickly slashed at him but Dash quickly vaulted over him using his halberd. "Triple Doom!" Dash yelled bringing his halberd up over Arata's helmet. Dash slashed horizontally at Arata's head. He then quickly spun it around and slammed it into Arata's torso, following up by sweeping him off his feet. Arata's body turned grey as his body hit the dungeon floor, drained of all its hit points. Kaochin's ghost along with Arata's and Nio's finally disappeared one after the other. Dash looked at the area where Arata's body had laid,

"I guess your sword just didn't compare, better luck next time." he said victoriously. I walked over to Dash's helmet and picked it up, throwing it back to him. "Excellent job, knight" I said. Dash looked at the helmet and then at me "Somehow, I don't like the way that sounds. I think once we get back to town I'll hand this back over to you and the knights." he proclaimed sheepishly. I walked over to the player that had saved us. She was a twin blade and her hair was brown. Her clothing was odd, she wore a blue top, the sleeves weren't connected to her top, And her skirt was black. I Kneeled down in front of her. "Thank you m'lady, you saved us from certain defeat and thus your actions have helped preserve peace within The World" I said chivalrously. Dash walked over with a grateful attitude, "Yeah, thanks for your help back there. We would have been in some real trouble if you hadn't showed up." He said smiling.

The player looked at us with confusion. "Can I have your member addresses?" She asked awkwardly. Dash walked over to her first, "Sure, I could always use another partner! It's not like Stance and I get to play together like this all the time." he said, obviously joking as he gestured to me with a smirk. I stood up from where I had been kneeling and walked over to the mysterious Twin Blade, "Yes, of course" I said, sending her my member address. She looked at us both for a few moments before saying, "Oh, my name is Kasey" she said smiling. "Nice to meet you" Dash said, offering a wave with his free hand. I extended my own hand, "Yes, the honor is all mine Ms. Kasey." She looked at my hand and finally shook it cheerfully, using both of hers. "We should return to town" I said aloud. Dash turned to me and unequipped the knight armor, offering it back to me. "Keep it, you've earned it Dash" I said to him. "Alright, I'll be sure to take good care of it incase it's needed again some day." He said jokingly. We all gated back to the root town. Kasey walked over to my character and Studied it for a moment. "Your one of those Crimson people!" she said poking at my armor. Before I could respond, I heard my name shouted from outside my room _my parents must be home. _"Please excuse me" I said to Kasey and Dash. My father was right outside my room,

"Kane, we left some groceries down by the car, Please go get them for me" He asked. "Yes sir" I said, And quickly made my way out of our apartment. As I approached the stairs I slammed right into a person, She fell to the ground, but I was able to keep my balance. I couldn't quite make out any features of the female; it was getting dark outside I held out my hand and I helped her stand up... "Please forgive me" I said as I bowed. "No, I should watch were I'm walking" she said sighing. She bowed and quickly ran past me, no doubt to her house. I walked down to our car and brought in the last of the groceries. I walked back up to my room and Put my HMD back on, Their was still knights standing guard at the chaos gate at Mac Anu , But I couldn't find any trace of Dash , or Kasey. I removed my HMD and looked at the clock _its only 7:30_. I decided to get to bed early that night; I sent an email to Dash and Kasey, apologizing for leaving them alone. I laid down in my bed, as always, and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

For those of you who actually keep up with Vision... Sorry for taking so long. Hopefully it won't take this long for me to post the next chapter, but you know how life works. If you should notice anything wrong with this story; spelling, grammar, incorrect information (OOC) By all my means, tell me!

**.Hack****/ ****Vision**

Chapter 4: Event

Important events in the .hack Timeline: None

Perspective: Stance

I woke up early that morning. I was not scheduled to work today, and school was out for holiday. I dragged myself out of bed, and over to my terminal. I loaded up my inbox and found I had three new emails. One from James, and another from Kasey, both were a response to my apology; the told me not to worry about it, and they got along without me. The other email was from CC corp. The email was a notification of an event. It came with the area words **Δ hideous someone's giant,** "maybe I'll go if time permits." I said aloud. I mounted my Head Mounted Display. I logged into the world. My view faded into the stunning Mac Anu. I was greeted by crimson knights guarding the gate. "Good Morning sir!" the senior ranking knight said to me at saluting. "Good morning knight, any sign of the wave master Tsukasa." I said returning the salute. "Yes sir, he warped here, but quickly warped away." The knight said with a frown. _This is getting ridiculous; we have to put more pressure on him._ "Very well, continue your guard duty." I said.

I turned toward the chaos gate. I quickly warped over to **Θ Server **I made my way to **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master. **When I entered the area I was confronted by another knight, but this knight was different; clad with a large suit of armor, and wearing red instead of the traditional blue clothing, his helmet was complete with a set of horns. I quickly recognized him; Silver Knight. I quickly kneeled down before him. "Sir!" I said as respectfully as I could. Silver Knight turned to face me "Stance, Good morning" He said to me. "I slowly stood up, Yes sir; it is indeed a good morning." I said to Silver Knight. "Sir, how are you feeling?" I asked him. Silver Knight paused for a moment, "I feel better, good enough to continue my duties as a knight, I must speak with Subaru, Please excuse me Stance" He said warping out of the area. I patrolled the area, gathering reports from each member in my squad. Tsukasa hadn't warped into this area while I was sleeping, At least not to the crimson knight's knowledge.

As I neared the dungeon, I could hear the sound of arguing, I made my way to the entrance of the dungeon, where the sound came from. Two knights stood in front of the entrance, blocking it off from another player. I stepped forward, "What is the meaning of this?" I demanded. The two knights glared at me, they quickly kneeled down, "Sir! This women demands access into the dungeon, But I've told her it's off limits" One of them said to me. _I don't recall issuing an order to limit player access to this area…_"Such an order was never made, both of you, get out of the way." I ordered. The two looked up at me, "but sir…it is dangerous…" One of them said to me. "Silence! If it is protection you wish to offer then escort this player, offer advice to this player, but do not bar this player from entering this dungeon! Now allow this player, and anyone else safe passage into this dungeon" I ordered.

The two knights looked at each other, and walked off, muttering under their breath. _Insubordinate whelps…_ I turned to the player. "Hey, Stance." The player said with a slight wave. It was Kasey. "Miss Kasey!? Please accept my sincerest apology for what you had to witness. I said kneeling before her. She glanced at the entrance of the dungeon; I slowly stood upright, "Would you like me to escort you through this dungeon?" I asked her as politely as I could. Kasey glared at me with a blank expression on her face "Nope, I just wanted to see if the Crimson Knights were hiding something inside this dungeon" Kasey said. _Hiding something... Just what is she trying to imply?_ "And I don't think you would prove to be a worthy escort, wasn't it I who saved you yesterday?" She said while giggling to herself. _Did she mean that as an insult? No…I think she is just teasing._ "Yes, you did save me, and I believe I expressed my gratitude." I said with a stern tone, attempting to convey I did not appreciate her teasing. Kasey glared at me, "So did this Tsukasa actually do anything? It sounds like the knights are just angry about one of their own being beaten" Kasey said crossing her arms. _What is she doing? She is acting completely different than she did last night…_

"I can assure you; He knocked a player unconscious in reality." I said with a firm voice. "But the story is completely far-fetched, the knights are not even making an attempt to hunt him down, you're paying others to hunt him down for you!" Kasey retorted. _My blood started to boil; she doesn't even understand the severity of this situation, and how dare she accuse the knights of such a ridiculous act! I clearly stated in my post to the BBS that the players should not hunt down tsukasa, solely because of his ability, we where paying for information! _"I'm afraid you are incorrect, the Crimson Knights are paying for information, and to address your concern about the Crimson Knights not hunting down tsukasa; you have to realize that there are numerous areas that Tsukasa could be hiding in, it would be a waste of time to divide the knights up and search each area on all the servers, If we guard the chaos gate sooner or later he will show up." I said trying to keep my cool.

Kasey grinned "Alright, I'll buy that, but what are the system administrators doing? If a player is going around knocking players out in the real world, wouldn't they try to stop him? Ban him? I mean they've got a reputation, they want more consumers' right?" Kasey said, her voice beaming with confidence. _She had a valid point…The administrators have yet to make any public announcements, only the Crimson Knights have said anything…and we are, after all just players…_ "I'm afraid I cannot comment on what the system administrators are doing, but I can assure you they know, and they are doing everything within their power to contain the situation, the Crimson Knights will aid them in anyway possible." I said. Kasey walked closer to me, she moved her face close to mine, "And you trust them?" She asked with a curious voice. I glared at her, "I've yet to see why I should not." I answered firmly. Kasey smiled at my comment as she stepped back, "Be careful who you trust Stance, in the end…You are all you have." Kasey said smiling. Before I could respond she had warped out of the area.

As I made preparations to return to Dun Loireag, I received a flash mail from Kasey. It read:

**Justice and law are two sides of the same coin, Just which side are you hoping this coin will land on? **

I thought for a moment and typed up my response,

**Law. Once the Crimson Knights have captured this rogue, peace shall be restored to this world, and that in itself is justice.**

I waited to see if Kasey would respond, within seconds another message popped up on my screen :

**One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force. **

She obviously disagreed with the way the knights where handling this situation, for the sake of both of us I decided to not respond to her message. I gated back to Dun Loireag.

I lifted my Head Mounted Display from my head and peeked at my alarm clock, It was an hour past noon, I slid my HMD back over my head and checked my party list, Dash was not online. I slid my HMD off again and made my way over to my drawer; I picked up my cell phone and dialed James' number, after ringing for sometime James finally answered "hello?" James said with a sluggish tone, evident that he had been asleep. "Its one o'clock drag yourself out of bed." I said. "What…Oh…Alright thanks." James said sluggishly. I closed my cell phone and placed it back on my drawer, and returned to my chair, I remounted my HMD. I quickly sent Silver Knight a message asking if he has any task that need to be completed. Silver Knight responded informing me that he will assume my responsibilities, and that I have today off, _I hate not having any duties, I feel so worthless without something to strive for, I suppose I will use this opportunity to aid players that require it, and of course keep a lookout for the rogue Tsukasa._

I made my way to the chaos gate, as I approached it Dash warped into the area.

"Ugh, thanks for the wake up call." Dash yawned. "Sleeping for fifteen hours is not good for your body, you should wake up earlier" I said to him. "Yeah, well I'll think about it, but I don't really want to give up all my late night endeavors in The World." Dash said scratching his hair. "Your lack of discipline annoys me Dash; did you make your bed?" I asked jokingly, Dash's eyes darted back and forth "Of... course I did…" He said hesitantly, I could hear him leave his computer desk through his characters voice chat capabilities,

"Typical Dash…" I said smiling. As I waited for Dash to return, someone called my name out from behind me, it was Kasey; she walked up to me and gave me a cold look, "Stance…Where did the Crimson Knights last see Tsukasa?" She asked with a cold tone. _Is she going to help him? Or maybe she is going to hunt him down…I can't tell with this women…For her well being I had best lie._ Before I could speak dash walked up beside me "Hey, if you're going to a field would you like some company?" Dash asked while waving to Kasey. Kasey's expression lightened as she glanced over to Dash, She returned his wave, and she quickly returned her gaze to me, her expression returned to its cold state "Stance? Where did the Crimson Knights last see Tsukasa?" Kasey asked again. "**Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master** that is where he was last seen" I lied. Dash approached Kasey, "So…?" Dash asked. Kasey ignored him, she raised an eyebrow, and she slowly smiled "Your lying…I just got done talking to some other Crimson Knights, and they told me he was last seen in The Aqua Capital, Mac Anu, Which means he isn't on this server" Kasey said grinning. Dash glanced at both of us, He stepped backwards "Eh, just send me a flash when you two settle this score...alright?" Dash ran towards the chaos gate and warped out of the area. Kasey stood there with a sly grin on her face.

_I've been caught, I have no choice, and I will tell her the truth_.

"Very well, Kasey you've caught me, I lied to you." I said looking her in the eye. Her grin faded "Why did you lie to me?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. "Tsukasa is a rogue, he wields a power unlike anything I've ever seen, players should avoid contact with him, I lied to ensure that you would not seek him out, to protect you so to speak." I said firmly, By now the various players have gathered around us, I could feel their cold stares all around me, their whispering sounded like a snake rearing to attack. Kasey walked towards me, **Player Kasey wishes to form a party with you! **I accepted. "It's not my intention to tarnish your reputation." Kasey said in party chat, Meaning only I could hear her now. "Very well" I replied. Kasey shot me a curious look "You said you are trying to protect me, why? What have I done to deserve your protection?" she asked. "When I joined the Crimson Knights I took an oath, that oath requires me to help make this world a better place, guard against those who threaten peace, and uphold the law that Lady Subaru has established" I said.

Kasey giggled "You're extremely loyal, more loyal than the other Crimson Knights I've met, but tell me... Are you going to destroy Tsukasa without even learning how he is able to do the things, you claim, he is able to do?" she asked. "I won't decide his fate, if he is truly innocent of his crimes he will be found innocent, it's my job to make sure that he doesn't knock any other players out in reality." I said. Kasey stood there for a moment, the players that had gathered around us had finally gotten bored and returned to their normal activities, she finally responded "I still do not believe that he is able do the things you claim, but for now…I shall stop my search for him." Kasey said as she made her way to the chaos gate. "Very well" I said to her bowing, Kasey turned to me "There is an event happing today, I suppose I'll see if Dash will attend it with me, he'll no doubt invite you, so you of course are welcome to join me" Kasey said, She disbanded the party and warped out of the area.

I wondered around Dun Loireag… I rarely lied to anyone, I was somewhat shocked by my actions. As I walked down the paths of Dun Loireag I was nearly run down by a player running towards the chaos gate. I quickly moved out of the players way, as the player ran by I was able to make out who it was; It was Kaochin, I watched her meet up with 2 other players at the gate, and then watched as they warped away. I continued my stroll around Dun Loireag; I stopped on top of one of the tall mountains and stared off into the clouds. _Kasey's comments really must have gotten to me, I kept questioning if Silver Knight was telling the truth…Surely he was, Lady Subaru believed him, and she was not easily fooled…But she could be lying too…No, it didn't matter, my loyalty lies with Lady Subaru, right or wrong, I have no reason to believe she would do such a thing, I will continue to hunt down Tsukasa, regardless of what I may think._ I stared off into the sky with my new found confidence,

I felt so good I couldn't help but smile. I was quickly brought back to reality by a PM from Dash:

**Dash: Hey Stance! Kasey and I are going to ****Δ hideous someone's giant, you in?**

I had nothing else scheduled today, so I quickly typed up a reply,

**Stance: I shall accompany you; we will meet in the area.**

I made my way to the chaos gate and transported to the appropriate area. The area was unlike any area I had ever seen it was comprised of one large air ship, that was oddly enough shaped like a human, with an entrance that lied were the mouth should be, and was being escorted by smaller airships; I would have to jump from one air ship to another to reach the opening in the large airship.

After what seemed like an hour of waiting Dash and Kasey warped into the area, Kasey acknowledged me with a sly grin, Dash on the other hand was shocked by the area we were in, and he scanned the area with a look of awe on his face. I walked over and reminded Dash we had to continue. We jumped from ship to ship; luckily we didn't have control over the jumping, so we could not fall. We reached the entrance, and quickly made our way inside, surprisingly their where no monsters inside. "Perhaps this is a non-combat oriented event" Kasey suggested. "It is a possibility" I added in agreement. "Now that doesn't sound like any fun" Dash sighed. "Do not drop your guard Dash, we still do not know what we are up against" I said sternly. "Yeah, yeah…" Dash said.

We made our way through the dungeon, and we were unable to locate any magic portals, just as we were about to give up and leave the area we stumbled across another player in a large room that was reminiscent of a boiler room. I quickly recognized the player's familiar figure, it was that of Kaochin. "I suppose Miss Kaochin has completed the event; very well, let us leave this area then." I suggested hoping to avoid conflict with her. "All this for nothing" Dash sighed. Dash and I turned and made our way to the exit, the sounds of combat quickly brought us rushing back.

Kaochin was lying on the floor, battered and bruised, Kasey stood over her, weapons drawn. _What is she doing!? Kaochin did nothing to warrant an attack! _ Instinctively I drew my weapon and rushed towards Kasey, I quickly slashed at her flank, but she rolled under my attack, now I was all that separated her from Kaochin. "Why are you defending a player killer Stance!? Did you forget about what she's done?" Kasey shouted. _Of course I didn't, but Kaochin has already paid for her recent attack on me, and I took an oath to defend the players of The World, "all" of them. _"Kaochin has already paid for her actions, you killed her!" I shouted back. "You're a fool if you think Kaochin will stop PKing, and by not killing her now, you are encouraging that kind of behavior" Kasey yelled

I could hear Kaochin's heavy breathing behind me, although I did not approve of her style of play, she had a right to be defended like any other player. Dash had slowly made his way between Kasey and I at this point; standing his ground as he put his back to Kasey, "Stance, Kasey, stop this. There's no point in fighting amongst ourselves just because we are in a disagreement. I know, because I can relate to both sides of this fight. I won't be moving from this spot, so if you need an enemy, I will fight you; both of you." Dash said boldly. Kasey jumped over dash, and charged straight for Kaochin, I quickly moved to intercept her; she kept changing the direction she was running in, attempting to confuse me but unfortunately for her she failed. I moved directly in front of Kasey and attacked her, my attack sending her down to the floor and leaving her health nearly depleted in just one strike. "I will not allow you to kill this player, surrender yourself now!" I yelled down to her. "Loyalty will only get you so far!" she shouted back as she jumped to her feet. I quickly charged forward bringing my weapon up, and sending it crashing down on top of her. She took her two daggers and blocked my attack, but she did not have the strength to completely repel it. We stood there struggling, our weapons interlocked; both of us struggling with all our might. Suddenly Dash intervened, shouting between us, "Stop this already, its pointless! Stop fighting one another!" Stepping in from our side he used his halberd as a medium, disrupting our hold and interrupting our struggle; instead placing himself in the middle. He flung his halberd upward after locking it between my sword and Kasey's daggers and quickly performed a sweeping attack that hit us both; sending us back a few feet.

His attack did not damage me enough to warrant recovery; Kasey quickly healed herself with items she brought along, _Dash kept interrupting us, his intervention was quickly working my last nerve_. "Dash, get Kaochin out of here!" I commanded, keeping my eyes on Kasey. As I had expected she used her speed to maneuver by Dash, and quickly made her way over to Kaochin. Luckily she would have to get pass me first. I quickly brought my weapon up into a defensive position and readied myself for her attack but Kasey leapt right over me, and landed behind Kaochin. She threw her daggers into the air to deliver the final blow, but I quickly ran forward throwing myself over Kaochin and tackling Kasey onto the floor. Hastily, I tried to stab her with my weapon, but I could not position it correctly because of its size; it was two large. Kasey's daggers however, were just the right size. I was forced to roll to my right just to keep from being damaged. Kasey shifted in sync with me, and now she lay on top of me. She slid her weapon to my neck. "Be a good boy and hold still" She said with a playful grin. I had no choice but to comply. "Dash, be a doll and dispose of that player killing scum" she commanded. Dash paused for a moment "I'm sorry, but I don't take orders from anyone who can not look passed their own selfish ideals. I will get Kaochin to safety, but only because I believe that is the right thing to do. When I get back, if you two are still bickering, I will give you a reason to fight!" Dash said firmly, holding his ground long enough to get our attention before grabbing hold of Kaochin's wrist and heading to the beginning of the area; safely away from our "bickering" as he so coldly put it. Kasey watched as Dash left the area, "I did not see that one coming" Kasey said turning her attention to me.

"Now, now…What to do with you, noble knight" She said grinning. I gripped my sword preparing to force her off me, but she noticed my movements and tightened her hold. "Don't try anything knight, It must irk you to no end not being in control of this situation right?" She asked. I quickly used my left hand to punch her across the face, she was caught completely off guard and was knocked off of me, I grabbed my weapon and rose to my feet. I walked over to Kasey who lay on the ground trying to recuperate from my attack, I put my sword over her chest and slowly lowered it "I will not ask you again, surrender yourself" I said. Kasey rubbed the side of her face "Hitting a woman like that? That isn't very honorable" Kasey said laughing. "The goal in fighting is to kill your opponent, now, do you yield?" I asked. Kasey's grin slowly turned into an annoyed frown.

"Fine" she sighed. "Very well, hand over your weapons" I demanded, The trade window opened up and she transferred her daggers over to me, I slowly moved my sword away from her and allowed her to stand. "I will now escort you out of the dungeon, get going" I ordered. Kasey stood there, her eyes slowly widened. Before I could see what had shocked her I was Struck hard and sent flying into a wall, I hit hard, leaving a slight impression as I fell to the ground, nearly dead, I opened my inventory and quickly healed myself to full health, I stood up and noticed the creature that attacked me, It was called "Parasite Dragon" And as it's name implied it was a huge dragon, it easily dwarfed Kasey and I.

Kasey was looking at me and did not see it rearing for another attack, It stuck her and sent her flying in my direction, she landed right on top of me, the dragon slowly made his way over to were we lye. "Quick…Give me my weapons back" She cried. _I had to, there is no way I could fight this monster alone…it would be a stretch to say Kasey and I could defeat it_. I opened my inventory and looked for the nearest twinblade icon; I quickly transferred the item to her. Kasey lay there on top of me smiling, "Thanks" she said. Both of us climbed to our feet, I quickly healed Kasey back to full health, and reestablished our party. "It has an enormous amount of health" Kasey gasped, "Our differences will have to wait, for now let us focus on this enemy!" I yelled.

I charged forward; I was easily able to dodge its attacks, likewise Kasey had no trouble at all navigating through its barrage of attacks. I jumped towards its face cutting as hard as I could, Kasey soon followed. Its health depleted, but it wasn't even noticeable. "This is going to take forever" Kasey sighed. "Just keep at it, we shall eventually prevail" I said. The parasite dragon swung its claw at Kasey. A direct attack like that would no doubt kill her; I ran forward as fast as I could and pushed her out of the way, taking the entire attack. I was sent flying backwards, hitting the wall hard. I slowly rose to my feet. "I suppose that makes up for your actions earlier" Kasey said running over to me, she healed me back to full health. "But now your in debt to me" She said smiling. _Her antics are quickly becoming annoying…_ "Pay attention! To the monster" I commanded.

The battle raged on, slowly we worked its health, until finally it fell over dead. "I suppose that's it" Kasey mused. I walked over to Kasey my sword gripped tightly. Kasey looked at me and burst out laughing "Honestly Stance, after that, I've no intentions of attacking you, let's just get out of here" Kasey said giggling, for some reason I believed her, I slowly sheathed my weapon. Kasey looked down at her daggers "Oh, and thanks for the new daggers, their absolutely perfect!" Kasey said. I fumbled through my inventory. Without knowing it; I had given her a different set of daggers, ones that were in fact better than her previous ones. She walked over to me as I was checking my inventory and hugged me; I realized what was happing and pushed away at the monitor. _Just a game… _

I slowly pushed Kasey away from me "So I can assume you will not attempt to player kill again?" I asked her. "Well…I suppose I can try to control myself." Kasey said half heartedly. "Very good, let us leave this dungeon, and put this behind us" I said. We both used sprite ocarinas, and were warped outside the dungeon's entrance.

I felt rather relived to see the sun's bright glow, as I was lost in the beauty of the area Kasey made her way in front of me. "Your one smooth operator, Stance" Kasey said. _My train of thought was utterly broken_ "Excuse me?" I asked. "Yeah, giving me these twin blades, heck, I bet that whole thing was a setup just so you could give them to me" She said while elbowing me. _Surely she's joking…_"Incorrect Miss Kasey, I had intended to escort you out of the dungeon, and have you recorded as a player killer, me giving you those blades was a mistake on my part, but you may keep them as I ha-" I said but it was obvious to me she was not listing. I disbanded the party and warped out of the area.

I warped back to Mac Anu, and quickly warped to Dun Loireag, so as to avoid Kasey, Although I was happy Kasey and I were able to over come our differences and come to an agreement, I was still furious as to Dash's actions… "He knows how hard it is to maintain order in this world… And he just attacked me like that" I told myself. I decided to confront him about his actions.

**Stance: Dash, this is Stance, will you meet me inside ****Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground? **

I sent the flash mail to Dash, expecting a quick reply

**Dash:Uh, yeah sure, but… Why there?**

I didn't respond to his flash mail, I made my way over to Mac Anu, and then warped to **Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground. **The area was depressing, it was extremely dark, and the only area here was a small chapel, I made my way inside. There are many rumors about this area, I for one never believed in rumors, but it was the only area inside the world, that didn't have a single monster. It defiantly stood out from the other areas. I made my way to the head of the church, and gazed out of the windows into the dark sky.

I remember my first time here…

"_It sure is dark here" I said aloud. "Yeah it's a pretty well known area in The World, but not many players come here because of the rumors" Kaochin said. "Rumors? What kind of rumors?" I asked curiously. "Your not one of those superstitious types are you?" Kaochin asked. "Me? No… I suppose I'm just curious" I said with a shrug. "Well there are a lot of rumors, to many to count, most of them are completely bogus, normally involving you falling into some kind of coma in reality or just flat out dieing" Kaochin said with a giggle. "I see… Completely impossible, this is only a game after all." I said. "I think so to" Kaochin nodded. "Oh hey, Miss Kaochin… Thanks for showing me around" I said with a bow. _

_Don't mention it, besides, I've yet to show you why I brought you here…_

The sound of a large door creaking open brought me back into reality. It was obviously Dash.

"Hey, I'm here. So what's this all about?" Dash asked as he walked into the church, stopping in the middle of the church. "Don't feign ignorance, you know exactly why I've called you here" I said coldly as I turned my attention to Dash. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stance. What's the matter?" Dash asked. "What you pulled earlier, attacking me like that!" I shouted "What?" Dash asked backing up, obviously startled by my shouting. "Do you mean when you and Kasey were butting heads? How can you hold that against me, I was only trying to do the right thing, and that was to stop the two of you from killing each other. You're friends, and you had a disagreement; it was ridiculous that you resorted to each other's necks so quickly, you know? So be angry if you want, but I don't regret what I did back there, and I think Kaochin at least, would agree with me on that." Dash said

"Killing each other!? Don't belittle me like that, you know I was defending Kaochin, not once did I ever make an offense move against Kasey, every single action I took was to prevent Kaochin from dieing, and here you are, telling me you were trying to do the right thing!?" I said angrily. "Kasey may have been too hasty but I was only protecting your friendships by keeping your blades apart. If you consider yourself to have been doing the right thing then how can you be angry with me over something so unimportant as me keeping you away from Kasey and her away from both you and Kaochin?" Dash asked

"Friendship is unimportant! I would not want a friend that is so quick to kill an innocent player! Do you honestly think words alone would have stopped Kasey?" I asked. "I think Kasey was just doing what she saw as the right thing to do, Kane. That being said, no, I don't think we could have persuaded her to stop with just words, but fighting was not the answer. This whole conversation proves that." Dash said

"Disagreements often lead to conflict, just because Kasey and I resorted to violence does not mean I hold any grudge towards her, which should be evident enough when I tried to defend Kaochin from Kasey. Dash I honestly don't think you realize what I as a Crimson Knight have to put up with! Every day I'm insulted and ridiculed by other players for my organization, I am blamed for the mistakes of others, and I can't even begin count how many times I've been killed while trying to enjoy my time inside The World. I do it because I took an oath to do it, and I'm bound by my word. I would not let a simple fight come between friendship, and the fact you think differently insults me!" I said

"I guess I didn't think of it like that, but that whole situation was chaotic. I know now that you knew what you were doing, so I'm sorry for underestimating you, but I still think what I did was right." Dash said. "I accept your apology, and I will not try and force you to think as I do, but you would do well to remember the rules Lady Subaru has established, regardless if you think they are right, there are consequences to attacking other players, and attacking me is no exception." I said

"Should you break any of these rules, you will get no mercy from me, you may be my friend, but in the eyes of Lady Subaru, you are just another player, and while on duty, I act in her name, and I will bring you to justice" I said coldly. Dash paused for his moment holding his breath, "So what does this mean for me?" Dash asked.

I slowly drew my sword and pointed the tip of it at Dash

"By the authority of the Crimson Knights, I hereby place you under arrest, on two counts of attempted Player Killing." I said. Dash gripped his halberd tightly, only to drop it to his side "Alright, I won't run from my acts against you and the Knights… I'll go peacefully" Dash said. "A wise decision" I said as I sheathed my sword.

Before I could act, the door to the chapel slowly slid open, and a female PC made her way into the chapel

"Really? That's it? You're just going to surrender? I expected better from you Dash" Kasey said with a shrug. _What is she doing here!?_ "Miss Kasey! What are you doing here?" I asked coldly. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to help you arrest Dash! He is a big bad PKer after all!" Kasey cried. _She's what!?_ "Miss Kasey, this is official Crimson Knight business, I will not authorize you to even touch Dash, I will ask you kindly to please leave the area" I said unsheathing my sword. "That's no fun! Tell you what Dash, how about I bust you out of here!" Kasey said cheerfully. _She can't be serious! Dash would never… Would he? _"Dash…" I said coldly, as I pointed my sword towards him. Dash finally broke his silence with his routine smirk, "No that's alright Kasey, thanks for the offer" Dash said with a dismissive gesture "But this is something I need to do for Stance. I hope you understand" Dash said

"Absolutely, but remember Dash, this is after all just a game, you shouldn't let people like me influence your actions, and that goes for Stance as well, just because Subaru made all these rules, doesn't mean you can't break them! After all, sometimes its fun!" Kasey explained as she spun around the room.

"Now I'll ask you once more! Do you want me to help you escape from the law, or will you turn yourself in for punishment you don't think you deserve? After all you were just doing what you thought was right, correct?" Kasey said with a wink.

Dash let out a loud sigh, and shook his head while smirking "I admire that about you, heh, but it doesn't matter if I see myself as justified or not. The laws of this world need to be upheld just as the laws in the real world are. Sorry Kasey, but please don't help me here" Dash said with a smirk.

_I see…_

"Alrighty, I just hope you realize the law is not always right." Kasey said with a shrug. Dash lightly nodded at Kasey's comment. I slowly sheathed my weapon "A prudent decision Dash. Very well… You are free to go." I said. "Free to go?" Dash asked somewhat surprised. "Correct" I said.

"But what about justice, punishment, upholding the law? What about all that before?" Dash asked, somewhat offended. "Lady Subaru… Is a benevolent and generous person, if I was to arrest you and take you before her, she would no doubt pardon you of your accused crimes, you attacked Kasey and I, but not with the intent on killing us, she would not call it attempted player killing." I explained.

"Heh… I see… Well I was looking forward to speaking to her, but I guess I'll forget about that now… But where do we go from here?" Dash asked as he looked between Stance, and Kasey.

"Huh? Oh! Don't worry, we never really got to finish our fight" Kasey said making her way over to Stance. "Some stupid monster interrupted our fight" Kasey said with a shrug as she walked past Stance. "But Stance used that time to give me these new twin blades! He thinks he's slick, but I wasn't born yesterday, I know what he's really after!" Kasey said as she elbowed Stance's arm.

_What did she say!?_

Dash glanced at Stance and Kasey with a cold look on his face, only to burst out into laughter. "Hah! Oh wow, so that's it huh, Stance?" Dash asked. "Don't be ridiculous! You know I would never do something as childish, it was a mistake, I just wish she would understand!" I explained. Kasey was to busy twirling her daggers around to hear me.

"Heh, well it's not like it would have been a bad thing, Kasey's a nice girl after all" Dash said as he shouldered his halberd behind his neck. "I don't use the net in that way, for all we know Kasey could very well be male!" I shouted. "Nope, all female" Kasey said as she twirled around Dash and I. "Hah, alright, alright… so what do you wanna do now?" Dash asked.

"It's getting late, I plan to log off." I said. "Yeah I'm getting pretty tired, besides I've got work tomorrow" Kasey said with a yawn. "I think I'll go explore some new areas" Dash said. "Very well, remember you have school in the morning, I will not tolerate tardiness" I said to Dash. "Yeah, yeah, I remember!" Dash said as he darted out of the door.

"So you two know each other in the real world?" Kasey asked. "We do, one of my few friends I suppose" I said. "What about me? Do you consider me a friend?" Kasey asked.

"We've only just met, you are more like an acquaintance" I said correcting her. "Aww, that's too bad, but I suppose that will improve with time, but for now I'm just gonna have to settle with acquaintance, bye!" Kasey said as she darted out of the door.

"They have to be two of the strangest people I've ever met…" I sighed as I turned around and scanned the church.

"I've certainly come a long way…" I sighed.

"_Kaochin, what are you doing!? This isn't funny! Please stop this!" I cried. "Wow you really are scared; it completely betrays how your character looks! Not that I can't blame you, being out classed like this!" Kaochin said with a demented smile. Kaochin slung her axe high into the air, and prepared to drive it down onto of me… She was going to kill me… I closed my eyes, and waited for the inevitable._

_The sound of metal clashing made me open my eyes. "Picking on players like this, you are such a lowly creature!" A tall armor clad man shouted, his helmet was reminiscent of a skull, and its eye pieces were glowing a bright red in dark. "Just what I needed to see, the slaves of Subaru!" Kaochin shouted. The tall armor clad man turned his attention to me. "Boy? Are you alright?" The man asked. "I… I think so…" I stammered. "Good, get out of the church, hurry now!" The man shouted. "Alright!" I shouted as I ran towards the exit. "I won't let you get away from me!" Kaochin yelled as she ran towards me. The armored man jumped in front of her, and counter attacked, sending her down to the floor. I didn't stop to watch the fight, I made my way towards the exist as fast as I could, I swung the large door open, and slammed it shut behind me, I hastily made my way down the stairs, I tripped over my own feet and fell flat on my face._

"_Oh! Are you alright!?"_

_I slowly lifted my head to see who was speaking to me… Gah! It's Kaochin! How did she!?_

"_Hey… Are you alright?" The women said running over to me_

"_Gah! Keep away!" I shouted trying to crawl away from her_

_I rose to my feet and drew my weapon "Don't come near me!" I cried_

"_Hey… Calm down… There is no need for violence… I'm not going to hurt you…" The women said softly_

_Before I could respond the doors to the chapel burst open, Kaochin ran out, her clothing torn, and her body battered and bruised._

"_What's this!? Subaru! This is to perfect, at least I get to kill you!" Kaochin shouted as she darted towards the women_

_Without thinking, I ran in front of Kaochin, cutting her off from the women_

"_Revolver!" I shouted as I jumped into the air_

"_What's this!?" Kaochin shouted_

_I brought my sword crashing down on Kaochin._

"_Gahh!" Kaochin cried, as she fell over dead._

_I stood there, breathing heavily trying to comprehend what I had done… I just killed another player… Although it was just a game… I couldn't help but feel like some kind of murderer._

"_M'lady are you alright!?" The armor clad man shouted as he emerged from the church. "I'm fine… Thanks to this player right here" The women said. "That player? He is the one that stopped that criminal and protected you?" The armor clad man asked as he made his way over to the women._

"_Is this true?" The armor clad man asked, as he turned his attention to me. I could feel his cold gaze… I made me uncomfortable… "Y-Yes…" I stammered. "I see… You are to be commended!" The armor clad man said with a bow._

"_Just… Who are you people?" I asked _

"_We are the Crimson Knights, and I am one of its founders, Subaru" Subaru said extending her hand. "Crimson Knights?" I asked shaking her hand. "Yes, I formed this group to help better this world, it's still sort of new, but I have hopes it will grow into something great one day" Subaru explained with a smile._

_The Crimson Knights…_

"I really have come a long way…" I sighed.

I made my way outside of the chapel, and gated out of the area. I checked to see if Subaru or Silver Knight were online, sadly they were not. I had nothing else to do, so I logged out.

I removed my Head Mounted Display and whipped the sweat from my head. "Quite an interesting day…" I sighed as I looked at my clock. "Nothing else to do now" I said with a shrug.

And with that, I slowly drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**.Hack****/ ****Vision**

Chapter 5: Wanted

Important events in the .hack Timeline: The Hunt for Tsukasa begins

Perspective: Stance

The annoying sound of my alarm awoke me, the dreadful noise made my head ache, although this is how I prefer it, a noise this annoying cannot be ignored, so it forces me to wake up. "5:00 AM just as scheduled" I muttered. I climbed out of bed, and opened my closet; I grabbed my school uniform and threw it on. I made sure everything was worn correctly; I fixed all the wrinkles, and tightened my tie. "Ready…" I muttered.

I made my way over to my terminal, and logged on. I had three new messages. I opened my inbox; the first one was from Kasey. I reluctantly opened it

**Hey Stance:**

**Thanks again for the weapons, I love them! But I wanted to tell you something... Even though we think differently, and argue a lot, I do consider you a friend.**

**So as a friend, I'd like to ask you some questions: What exactly do you plan to do with Tsukasa if you are able to capture him? And do you think that maybe Tsukasa is doing all of this out of self defense? **

**On an unrelated note, I thought about you last night, I tried to picture you in real life, and all I could picture was your online persona, tell me Stance, do you actually... Well you know... They way you act online, do you act like that offline as well? You know, all noble, and what not?**

** -Kasey.**

_A friend? I consider her a friend as well… Although her actions really annoy me at times… And what do I plan to with Tsukasa? I don't plan to do anything, that's up to Lady Subaru; my duty is to capture that rogue. But what does she mean self defense!? The Crimson Knights did not make any hostile actions towards Tsukasa, on the contrary! I stumbled upon the corpse of Silver Knight, whom Tsukasa obviously slain, and might I add, he was smiling obviously because he enjoyed it!_

I typed up my response

**Dear Miss Kasey:**

**Although I do not entirely agree with your actions, I do consider you a friend as well, now, onto your questions.**

**I am not the one who will try Tsukasa, my duty is to capture Tsukasa, and bring him to Lady Subaru, if you are curious about his fate, I'd suggest contacting Lady Subaru, although she is fairly busy, so I cannot guarantee a quick response.**

**Do I believe Tsukasa is acting out of self defense? I do not, he simply does not wish to be captured, he is afraid to be punished for the crimes he has committed, but rest assured I will find that rogue, and bring him to justice, he will not escape the Crimson Knights.**

**Your final question is… personal, but I will answer it. I suppose you could say that I do act that way in reality, I treat everyone with respect until they give me a reason not to, and I look up to those in authority, they are after all the ones keeping society in check, and protecting us all. They have every right to be respected, and I will do so until the day I die.**

**I hope I've answered your questions.**

** -Stance**

I sent the message without hesitation, and moved down to the second message, from Dash.

**Hey:**

**I know I already said this back in ****Δ**** Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, but I just wanted to apologize again for how I acted. Acting in the moment is messy, you know? Anyways, I know we're ok on that subject now and I really just wanted to say things are changing in The World, you know? I mean we don't play the same way we use to. I don't know if you've noticed but ever since this Tsukasa player showed up we've done nothing really how we use to. I guess I'm not complaining, I mean I was already complaining before anyways, heh. Look, this email is already getting too long; just let me know the next time you want to play, and Kasey can tag along too of course. Oh, and keep me updated on this Tsukasa player and I'll be sure to let you know of anything I find out.**

**P.S - Don't worry, I'm not going to go looking for him or anything, I just meant if I overheard anything. **

** -Dash4031**

_Dash… He's right… Ever since that rogue Tsukasa showed up, we really haven't been playing a lot, I've always been a Crimson Knight, but my work for the most part was passive, I just enforced rules while I played… But now that Tsukasa is around I've become a full time guard, constantly searching for him, and neglecting the very person who got me into The World in the first place… But I've got to keep going… Tsukasa has to be stopped! I will make sure of it… I will not allow him to harm another player!_

_Tsukasa… I will find you…_

I decided not to reply to Dash's email, we'll see each other at school, and there is nothing I can really say in response. I scrolled down to the third email, it was from Silver Knight.

**Stance.**

**I need you to keep an extra sharp eye out for Tsukasa; don't be afraid to search other areas. I can't explain what Lady Subaru is doing… She keeps talking about Crim! And now she may be enlisting help from the player base… And the system administrators are not responding to my emails, how can they ignore what is going on!?**

**Stance, we need to find Tsukasa. Tell me I have your support.**

_Silver Knight… I don't understand… Talking about Crim…? What about Crim…? Crim was the co-founder of the Knights… It'd be unnatural for Lady Subaru to not speak about him… And enlisting help from the outside? Lady Subaru is a women of infinite wisdom, she knows what's she's doing, and I've never questioned her… But I will agree that Tsukasa needs to be found. _

**Silver Knight.**

**My loyalty has always been with the Crimson Knights, I hope you are not bringing it into question... And what of Crim? He helped Subaru form the Crimson Knights, and you two, if I recall, used to be close friends, Lady Subaru is probably lamenting over the past, just remember where your loyalties lye.**

**You mentioned something about searching other areas? If that is your command, I will start searching other areas within The World.**

** -Stance.**

"That's that" I said as I sent the email to Silver Knight. "I've got to get going, don't want to be late" I said leaving my room and heading downstairs. I glanced about the living room, it was still a little dark outside "Still asleep" I whispered. I glanced over to the kitchen; _I'm not particularly hungry… I'll skip on breakfast. _I opened the door to my apartment, and stepped outside. It was nice and cool outside, and the sky was illuminated with different colors, the horizon glowing a pinkish red, and the actual sky remained a pale blue…

"Twilight… What a beautiful sight…" I said in awe

"Yeah it sure is"

I spun around, to find the source of the voice, it was a girl; I recognized her uniform… She is a freshman at Asahi Senior High, my high school… "Oh… I'm sorry if I disturbed you…" The female said pushing her brown hair out of her eyes. _I'm starring…_ "No! Forgive me for my rude actions, you did no such thing." I said with a deep bow. "Right… Hey that uniform… We go to the same High school?" The female asked "You are correct" I said with a nod. "I haven't seen you around… Are you an upper classmen?" The female asked. "Yes, I am junior" I said with a nod. "Oh! My I completely forgot my manners!" The female said with a bow. _She looks familiar…_ "No, there is no need for that" I said dismissively. "But… Would you by chance…Be that female I ran into the other day?" I asked. "The other day… Oh yeah! Sorry for not paying attention" The female said with a blush. "There is no need to apologize, it was after all, my fault" I said. "Nonsense, I should pay more attention." The female said. "No, no, it is I who must pay more attention." I said. _Wait… I'm I arguing over something as meaningless as this…?_

"How about we say that the blame is mutual?" The female suggested with a slight grin. "Very well, that is acceptable; we both should have paid more attention." I said. "Very well… But may I ask you a question Mister… Umm…" The female started "Kane, Kane Takeshi, and you?" I said with a bow. "Oh! My name is Akira Hayami, sorry for not introducing myself earlier" Akira said with a bow. "Do not worry about it, now… I believe you had a question for me?" I said. "Oh yeah! What are you doing up so early? School doesn't start until eight" Akira said confused. _It's really none of her business…_ "I always get up at this hour; it gets me a head start on class work, and gives me time to prepare the class for the students, and the teacher." I said. _I'm lying again…_ "Oh…Wait, are you a class rep!?" Akira gasped. "You are correct, I am a class representative." I said. "That's cool, but hey, I've got to get to school, my bike is broken, and I've got a detention to serve" Akira said with a heavy sigh. "I see, you would do well to avoid trouble, hurry along now." I said as I moved out of her way. "Will do, nice meeting you!" Akira said as she darted towards the stairs.

_Interesting woman… Now I've got to hurry, I don't want to worry… Her…_

I waited until Akira was out of sight, and then made my way down to the street, I double checked to make sure Akira wasn't looking, and I started walking down the street, in the opposite direction of Akira, I didn't plan on going to school, at least not yet…

I arrived at the hospital just in time, I made my way to the front of the building, and the automatic doors slid open allowing me to access the building. The room was bright, and the white walls, and ceiling didn't help, I squinted allowing my eyes to adjust to the light. I made my way up to the front desk, "Nozomi-sama it is me, I'm here to see my sister" I said with a bow. "Oh! Right on time, as always Mister Takeshi, please, come this way." Nozomi said. "Yes ma'am" I said with a bow. _I did this nearly everyday… I'd wake up early just to come here, visiting hours weren't until the afternoon, but the doctors here have allowed me to visit my sister when ever I want. Although they ask for nothing in return I sometimes volunteer around the hospital, as a kind of "payment" for my visiting pass._

"Alright, here we are" Nozomi said. "Take as long as you need Kane, Alright? I've got to go attend to our new nurse… Man she's absolutely crazy sometimes, so take your time." Nozomi said with a bow. "As you wish" I said with a bow. I watched Nozomi dart off down the hallway. I slowly opened the door, and slipped inside undetected. My sister was starring out the window, her back to me.

_This is my little sister, Yoko. She is the reason I get up early before school, I come here to visit her, since she isn't allowed to leave the hospital. I really feel sorry for her, she's only nine years old, and she's being forced to spend her life here in this hospital, all because of a stupid decision I made…_

"_Kane…"_

"_Oniichan get up… I heard something downstairs" Yoko said_

"_Not now Yoko… It's late… Go to bed" I said half asleep _

_I didn't pay any attention to it, my parents weren't home…I totally ignored my sister, and fell back asleep._

_I awoke to a loud bang, followed by screaming, and moaning._

"_What was that!?" I shouted, as I jumped from my bed, and darted down stairs._

_At the floor of the steps was Yoko, she had been shot, her chest was covered in blood, and she was groaning in pain. _

_What happened next… It all happened so fast…_

"_No… No!" I screamed in terror._

_I darted down the stairs, panicking, and then I saw him…_

"_You did this!" I cried _

_I ran over to him, and tackled him, he fired his handgun a few times, but thankfully he missed. We rolled around struggling._

"_I'll kill you, Kill you!" I cried _

_I moved my hands to his face, and felt around for something, anything that would disable him, I eventually located his eyes, and I shoved my index fingers through both of them… I still remember the feeling…_

_The man cried in pain, firing his handgun randomly in the air_

_I ran towards a nearby desk, and grabbed a pair of succors._

_Without thinking twice, I jumped on top of him, and stabbed him, again, and again…_

_Our neighbors heard all of the noise, and called the authorities, they found me lying in the corner, crying, and covered in that mans blood. Luckily my sister didn't die, but the gunshot had damaged her heart, and since then she's been here in the hospital awaiting a new one. I was arrested for involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped when I was deemed "Temporarily Mentally Impaired, or for lack of better words, "insane" at the time of my actions, I had to undergo counseling, but it was nothing compared to what Yoko had to endure, and is still enduring, she's been in this hospital since the incident, for four long years, she's been in the same room, waiting for a heart._

_She was seven years old at the time of the accident, and since then she's had no friends, no social life, and she rarely sees her parents due to their busy schedule… So I take it upon myself to visit her as much as I can, I owe her that much._

I crept closer to the bed "Yoko! You left yourself open! You should pay more attention!" I shouted. "Ha! Gotcha!" Yoko shouted as she spun around and jumped onto me. "Oniichan!" Yoko said hugging me tightly. "Yoko have you been behaving yourself?" I asked. "Of course I have!" Yoko said happily. "That's my girl" I said returning her hug. "So how have you been?" I asked as I placed her back down on her bed. "Great!" Yoko said. "You've been doing everything the nurses, and doctors ask you?" I asked. "Of course!" Yoko said happily. "Good! Remember, we are Takeshi's we are always righteous, and honorable! We always do what is expected of us-"I said raising my fist "and we work hard to preserve peace, and maintain order!" Kyoko said cheerfully. "That's right!" I said.

_Ever since that day… I've made a pledge that I would act in the name of order, and I will punish anyone that tries to threaten that order, be it online, or here in reality, law and order are the greatest things humanity has, and we all should work hard to maintain it._

"Oniichan, how are your adventures in The World going?" Yoko asked. "Not so good…" I sighed as the thought of Tsukasa ran through my mind. "Oh? What's wrong?" Yoko asked. "There's this player…" I sighed. "Is he an evil villain?!" Yoko shouted. "Haha… Yes, he is an extremely evil person" I said. "What's he doing that's so evil? Yoko asked curiously. "He is… He is killing players in The World… And it is effecting players in reality" I said. "Are people dying in reality!? Just like mom!?" Yoko gasped. "No! Not dying, just falling unconscious" I said hopping to calm her. "What's that?" Yoko asked. "He is… Um… He is forcing them to fall asleep, rather they want to or not" I said. "Are the Crimson Knights gonna stop him?" Yoko asked curiously. "Of course! Tsukasa will be brought to justice, the Knights will capture him!" I said sarcastically flexing my muscles. "Tsu… Tsuka…" Yoko stammered. "Tsukasa. That is the player's name" I said, helping her pronounce it.

The door suddenly burst open "Alright Takeshi-chan, let's see if your pacemaker is working properly" The nurse said. "Good morning nurse" I said with a deep bow. "Umm… Who are you?" The nurse asked with an annoyed tone. "Nee-san! He's my Oniichan!" Yoko said cheerfully. "Oh! So you're Kane! I've heard a lot about you. Name's Natsuko Yasu" Natsuko said waving her hand in my direction. "An honor to meet you Yasu-sama" I said with a bow. "No, don't use my last name, use my first. And don't use any of those uptight honorifics." Natsuko said. "Um… Alright Ya- I mean Natsuko' I said correcting myself. "Well Yoko, I need to take a blood sample, so hold out your arm, and let's get this over with" Natsuko said brandishing a needle. "Oh alright" Yoko sighed. _Before the incident she used to be terrified of needles, but now… It's become a minor annoyance._ A sharp pain in my arm brought me back into reality. "Ouch!" I gasped turning my attention to my right arm. "Just testing to see if the needle is sharp enough" Natsuko said with a chuckle. _She was what!? That's hardly professional, wait she isn't going to use that same needle on Yoko!?_ "Whoops, I should probably clean it, don't want you getting your brothers cooties" Natsuko said. _Thank god…_ "So Yoko, you have any where special you want to go today?" Natsuko asked.

_What did she say!?_

"Not really" Yoko said. "How about we go and see a movie? Something with a lot of action, or maybe a comedy?" Natsuko said. "Wait just a minute, you haven't been leaving the hospital have you?" I asked. "You want her to waste away her on this bed?" Natsuko asked, as she pushed the needle into Yoko. "Well… No… But isn't that against regulations?" I asked worriedly. "Nope, just gotta take extra good care of her, which I do, don't I Yoko?" Natsuko asked. "Yeah Oniichan, yesterday she took me out for dinner!" Yoko said cheerfully. "I see… You could have at least alerted, me or my parents" I sighed. "Tried to, couldn't get your parents to answer my call, so I just signed the release for them" Yoko whispered into my ear. _She what!? …My parents are… They are busy…Perhaps they were too tired to notice Natsuko's request… It's not like they visit on a regular basis…But it makes Yoko happy, and gives her a chance to see the outside world… How can I ask her to stop…?_ "You object to it?" Natsuko asked, as she removed the needle from Yoko. "No, it's just…" I sighed. "Oh you're worried I'll let something happen to her right? Can't say I blame you, although the consciences for such negligence would probably get me fired, not to mention your family would probably sue me, and the hospital, and on top of that, I'm sure you'd beat the living crud out of me right?" Natsuko asked. "You… You are absolutely correct." I said with a chuckle. "I thought so, things like that are pretty easy to predict, especially the suing part" Natsuko said with a sigh. "Well Yoko let me run this down to the lab so they'll get off my case." Natsuko said with sigh. "Alright Nee-san!" Yoko shouted.

I made sure Natsuko was out of earshot, "You two seem close, and you're calling her Nee-san? She's not related to you." I said curiously. "So? We're best friends, practically sisters!" Yoko cried. I couldn't help but smile at her childishness. "Well she doesn't seem like a bad person, so I've no objections" I said with a shrug. Yoko smiled happily, and turned her attention to the scenery outside the window. "Hey Oniichan… If she's my Nee-san…Tee-hee… That makes her your Nee-san as well" Yoko said playfully. "What!? No! She's your sister not mine! Don't drag me into this!" I cried out bashfully. Yoko continued poking fun at me, and I hadn't noticed the door open and Natsuko enter the room. "Are you two arguing?" Natsuko asked. Somewhat surprised I spun around "Oh? Nee-san…" I mistakenly blurted out

_Wait what did I say…?_

…

…

Natsuko stood there with a large grin on her face "Could it be Kane has developed a sister fixation already? It's understandable at Yoko's age, but you… Hehe… We've only just met Kane." Natsuko said giggling. "What!? Do not twist my words like that!" I shouted. "But you did just call me Nee-san" Natsuko said placing her finger on her chin. "I haven't the time for this! Yoko I'm leaving for school, you will behave yourself in my absence, and do as you are instructed" I said to Yoko. "Ok Oniichan…" Yoko said with a frown. _I'm being a little too harsh… _I kissed Yoko on the cheek, and made my way towards the door. "Aren't you gonna kiss your big sister good bye?" Natsuko said with a sarcastic pleading voice. _What!?_ I turned my attention to her and felt blood rushing into my cheeks. "Humph!" I grunted and made my way out of the room. I could hear Yoko, and Natsuko giggling as I left.

Despite my detour to the hospital I still made it to school before most of the students. The students that were there had club business to take care of, or were there to serve a detention. I made my way into the school building and opened my locker, along with all the necessities, I was surprised to find a note as well, it was pink and was sealed with a little heart sticker. "Another one…?" I sighed as I opened it. The contents were nothing new to me, I've gotten several letters like this, each of them from an anonymous sender, and each of them just kind of reminding me that someone out there had feelings for me, "I'm always watching…" The note read. _I'm kind of getting worried… Am I being stalked? I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, it is possible this is a joke, but it's been going on for a while now, I don't think anyone would have the patience to keep a practical joke going this long. Not to mention it was well written and pretty heart warming. Oh well, not much I can do since it is not signed._ I slid the note into my pocket "Who ever wrote it really put a lot of time into it, I can't just throw their hard work away" I sighed.

I made my way up to the third floor, where my classroom was located. I approached the classroom, and slid the door open. "Ah, good morning Senpai"

"Hm? Oh, Asaoka-san I'm not used to you getting here before me, yes, good morning to you as well" I said with a wave. "Your not sleeping late are you Senpai?" Asaoka asked "That is a ridiculous question, you know I'm not the type to oversleep" I said. "But then why were you late Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "I just got sidetracked on my way to school." I lied. "Sidetracked? That doesn't sound like you at all Senpai, what sidetracked you?" Asaoka asked. _She sure is asking a lot of questions today… Hmm, I wonder if Asaoka-san wrote that letter… No, she would be more open, and would probably tell me in person._ "I- I met a freshmen on the way to school, we had a conversation" I said. _It wasn't a lie… Not the complete truth…, but not a full blown lie._ "Oh? What was the freshman's name?" Asaoka asked. _What is she doing interrogating me?_ "Akira Hayami" I said. "Oh!? You met Akira?" Asaoka said. "Do you know her?" I asked. "Yes Senpai she is a friend of mine" Asaoka said. "I see, she said she had a detention to serve here at the school, so I would advise some disciplinary actions" I said with a smile. "He-he, I'll be sure to scold her" Asaoka said returning the smile. "Very well, let us get the desk aligned, and make sure everything is clean" I said. "Yes Senpai" Asaoka said.

_I'm the class representative, meaning I've got responsibilities that require me to spend more time at school than most, but it doesn't bother me, I like helping out the teachers, as well as helping students should the need arise. I was asked to choose an assistant, and I choose Asaoka, mainly because she was the one who was running against me in the election, she was dedicated and nearly beat me, so I knew she would make a great assistant, and I was correct._

"Hey, Senpai" Asaoka said. "Yes Asaoka-san?" I said giving her my attention. "I've been hearing a lot of things in The World recently, and I can't really say I believed in the rumors… But I saw your post on the BBS yesterday" Asaoka said. "You are talking about the player known as Tsukasa correct?" I said, dropping my current activity, and walking over to her. "Yeah… Is it…Is it true?" Asaoka asked. "You know I'm not the type of person to lie, but yes, it is all true, Tsukasa has the power to knock players unconscious in reality" I said seriously. "But how can he do that?" She asked worriedly. "I honestly do not know. My best guess would be some type of virus" I said. "I see… Aren't you… Afraid?" Asaoka asked. "Afraid of what?" I asked. "Of The World? If what you're saying is true… I don't think I want to continue playing" Asaoka admitted. I placed my hand on Asaoka's shoulder, "What kind of talk is that? Do not let him be the cause of your resignation, you are stronger than that Asaoka, that aside you need not worry, the Crimson Knights are hot on his trail, and have you forgotten what I am? You have my member address; if you start to feel worried invite me, and I'll make sure that rogue doesn't harm you" I reassured her. _Wow did I just say that? I didn't know I was capable of such… _"But what if you're not online Senpai? What if I can't reach you?" Asaoka asked with a frown. _That's a tough question… I do have to work through the weekdays… Ah! I know!_ I walked over to the teacher's desk, and picked up a pen, and scribbled something down on a piece of paper. "Then use this!" I said handing her the paper. "What's this?" Asaoka asked. "It's the number to my cell phone, just call it, and I'll get home to my terminal as soon as possible" I said. "He-he Thanks Senpai!" Asaoka said with excitement. _What? Just a minute ago she was acting all sad… Wait did she just!?_ "Your so naïve Senpai" Asaoka muttered to herself with a giggle. _She did… So it couldn't have been her that wrote the letter, she just tricked me into giving her my number, man how embarrassing…_"Hey Senpai" Asaoka said. "Yes?" I said. "I was wondering, how long have you been a Crimson Knight?" Asaoka asked. "Ever since my first day in the world… that sure was along time ago… They didn't even have a required set of armor; it was Silver Knight's idea actually." I said as I reminisced about the past. "I see, but I've another question: How come I've never seen any female Crimson Knights?" Asaoka asked.

"Well… I… Uh… T-…The…The reason we all look the way we do is because of an armor appearance override item that was created solely for our guild, it basically inputs the image of the armor over your current character, like a set of clothing. We all submitted different ideas for armor, I designed two types of armor, one female, and one male, both were based off the armor that Silver Knight wore. My female design was rejected; although I do have three copies of my female design in my inventory I've never had a need for them... Well eventually Silver Knight: My commander was put in charge of designing the armor for the males, and the designer for the female's armor was: Crim, the co founder. Well Silver Knight chose my armor as the standard… Crim on the other hand… Decided to make his own armor, and then had the system administrators create the items. He gave them to all the female Knights…" I said wincing at what was coming. "And then?" Asaoka asked. "Well… It wasn't exactly what you would call armor… His female armor was… Very revealing… and degrading to all the female Knights we had, it was so bad it caused each one of them to quit, and we've never had another female attempt to join since." I said with a sigh. "…You're serious?" Asaoka said. "…Of course, why would I make something like that up?" I asked. Asaoka stood there starring at me for a moment, and then she burst out into laughter. "What's so funny!?" I asked. "I'm sorry just thinking about an organization like the Crimson Knights like that…" Asaoka said having trouble speaking due to her laughter. "It's not something were proud of! Infact I could get into a lot of trouble for revealing that to you!" I said. "Ha-ha-ha! I'm sorry I can't stop laughing!" Asaoka cried

Asaoka and I ended up running behind with our chores because we were socializing, students started to enter the classroom as we cleaned it, and they didn't make our job any easier.

I stood at the head of the class, taking my position to the right of the teacher's desk, Asaoka standing next to me. I was checking through the clip board, taking roll for the teacher. "Everyone is here except…" Asaoka said peering down at the clipboard. "Danketsu…" I said clenching the pencil in my hand. "Think he'll show up?" Asaoka asked "Of course, oh Asaoka could you open my bag for me, there should be an extra tie inside, please hand it to me" I commanded. "Yes Senpai" Asaoka said as she made her way over to my desk. I glanced at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. "Here Senpai" Asaoka said handing me the neatly folded tie. "Thank you Asaoka-san" I said with a bow. I returned my attention to the clock, the whole class fell silent as I stared, I watched the as seconds passed, finally there was only one minute remaining before the bell rang. "Are you sure he is coming Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "He should be here right… now" I said turning my attention to the door. As if on cue, the door slid open, and James entered the class, "I'm not late am I?" He shouted. "I turned my attention to the clip board, and marked him present "No you barely made it, as always, oh and button up your shirt, and put this tie on" I said throwing the tie to him, I kept my attention on the clip board the whole time, going through it again making sure I made no mistakes. "Oh thanks!" James said as he sloppily tied the tie around his neck. "Hey Kane you wouldn't happen to have…" James started. I reached in my pocket and tossed a pencil his way, keeping my attention focused on the clip board. "Oh thanks you read my-" James attempted to say "Mind?" Asaoka finished the sentence for him. "Yeah!" James said. "Looks like Senpai is rubbing off on me" Asaoka whispered to me. I couldn't help but crack a smile at her remark. There was a knock at the door, "Asaoka, could you please see what our visitor wants? I've something to discuss with one of the students" I said. "Of course, Senpai" Asaoka said. I made my way to the back of the room, where James was leaning back in his chair, and starring out a nearby window. I ignored the whispers of the other students as I walked by, "You will end up breaking the chair, you know the rules Danketsu-san" I said. "Yeah, yeah, four on the floor" He said waving his hand at me dismissively. "Danketsu-san; about the email you sent to me last night" I said softly to James, so no one else could hear me. James turned his attention to me, and waited for me to continue. "What you said… I know my duties have interfered with our normal adventures in The World, I… I just want to make sure you understand why I'm doing what I'm doing" I whispered. "I understand, and I'm sorry for getting in the middle of it all, I just couldn't watch you and Kasey butt heads like that and do nothing. Anyway, it's in the past now, right?" James said. "Yes, the past" I said. "Senpai!" Asaoka shouted from across the room. I turned to face her but James grabbed my attention "Oh, and Kane… I'm not from here you know? I know it's rude to call address people by their first name before you've really gotten to know them and all, but I think we've been friends long enough, and besides, that isn't really a custom in America… So call me James, alright?" James explained. "I see… Very well, James-san" I said with a bow. James nodded his head and returned to his previous activity. I made my way back to the head of the class. "Asaoka-san what is it?" I asked. She got close so she could whisper into my ear "Sensei is running late, and won't be able to make it to class in time for first period" Asaoka whispered. "…And what have we been advised to do? I asked afraid of what she might say. "Well…Free period…" Asaoka sighed. "Great…" I sighed along with her.

I made my way to the front of the class "Class, give me your attention!" I commanded. The class stopped their conversation and everyone turned their attention to me. "I've just been informed that Sensei is running late, and will not be able to make it to first period" I explained. "Aww man your not going to teach the class again, are you?" a student sighed out loud. I raised my hand signaling him to stop speaking. "No, sadly I will not be teaching you this time around. Instead the schools administration has decided generously, to grant you all…" I explained. The class leaned forward eager for what I had to say. "A free period." I sighed. All the students in the class beamed with excitement, and all the students began to stand eagerly. "But!" I shouted, re gaining my authority "The other classes around us are still working, so we are going to keep our noise to a minimum, I'm still in charge here, if you get out of hand I will not hesitate to hand out an assignment, or alert the administration." I said. That earned me quite a bit of angry stares from the class. _Nothing new…_ "I may even teach you myself" I declared.

"No!"

"We'll do whatever you want!"

"We'll be good"

"Very well, do as you please" I said. I stopped considering what I had just said. "Within reason!" I added. I returned to my previous position standing next to Asaoka. "Senpai… You should become a teacher" Asaoka said. "Hm? You think I'd make a good one?" I asked pondering what my life would be like if I became one. "Of course" Asaoka said.

"He sure is popular" Asaoka said pointing over to James, who was surrounded by half the class. "Yes he is, although I do not understand why" I admitted. "He is an unorganized person, he has trouble dressing himself, his Japanese leaves a lot to be desired as well, and his lack of respect is somewhat nerve wracking" I admitted. "So you do not like him Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "I never said that, I'm just amazed someone like that is able to survive." I said. "But you're his best friend; at least… that's how it's generally viewed. Are you not his friend?" Asaoka asked. "I may not agree with everything he does, but there is one quality he has an abundance of, and that is: loyalty, that alone makes him worthy of being my friend" I admitted. James waved to me while I spoke, and I politely returned the gesture. "Do you think everyone in America is like him?" Asaoka asked. "A whole country full of James? I'd rather not think about that to be honest, one is all the world needs" I said with a playful sigh.

Asaoka and I spent the entire free period talking about different topics. Second period went by rather quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

Everyone inside the classroom, bolted out, leaving desks over turned, and trash littered about the area. I corrected the alignment of the desk, and picked up most of the trash, but to clean the desk's tops I needed a washrag, and some bleach. "Guess I'll need to go to the supply closet." I sighed. I made my way out of the classroom, and made my way to the supply closet on the second floor. On my way there I ran into Asaoka, who was with her group of friends, she greeted me as we passed. _I could use her help… But I can do it myself, after all she has a social life, it'd be rude of me to pull her away from her friends like that. _I gathered my supplies from the supply closet, on my way back to the classroom; I spotted James outside lying under a tree, obviously sleeping. "He had better wake himself before lunch is over" I sighed. I made my way back to the classroom, but stopped outside the door when I heard talking. I leaned closer to the door, and listened in on the conversation.

"So have you heard the rumors yet? About that wavemaster?"

"Yeah, they say he can knock you out in real life, at least… That's what the post on the BBS said."

"Yeah but I don't buy it."

"Me either."

"But it's true, Senpai told me so"

"Senpai? You mean Takeshi? How would he know?"

"He's a Crimson Knight and the one who made the post on the BBS!"

"What!?"

"Are you serious!?"

"Of course, but… I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, so don't tell anyone else ok?"

"Don't worry about me I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Alright."

"Still, its hard to believe a Crimson Knight is going to our school, I must admit I've always had my thoughts about Takeshi-san, but I never knew he played The World."

"He, he is pretty stuck up isn't he? Always talking about rules, rules this! Rules that! Blah, blah, blah"

_Stuck up!?_

"Don't talk about Senpai like that! It's rude! He is a very kind person"

"When he isn't cracking the whip!"

_What did she say!?_

"Hey… Don't talk about someone behind their back!"

"They also say he's a teacher's pet!"

…

"Haha! Yeah I've heard that to."

_What an outrage! I…I…_

I threw the door open, and was greeted by a group of three students. I glared at them menacingly. They stopped their conversation, and stared at me, obviously frightened by my sudden appearance. I recognized one of them, and that was Asaoka, but I did not know the others. I stood there, glaring at them, and they sat there, frightened. "Ah…Ah…I… Senpai!? What are you doing back?" Asaoka asked. "Look around at the classroom, it's in shambles!" I said, exaggerating the anger I had, and making my voice very threatening. "Oh… Ah… Want me to help you Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "No, after all, this is for the teacher, why would I let you take any of the credit!?" I said angrily while looking at the other two students. "Oh…Ah…I'm…" Asaoka stuttered. "You heard didn't you Senpai?" Asaoka asked with a frown. "I did." I said. "I ah… uh… Forgive me Senpai" Asaoka said as she got on her knees. _My anger isn't towards her… I really shouldn't be angry at all… After all, girls will be girls…and if I let this get to me, I'll only support whatever rumors are circulating… _"No Asaoka-san, get off your knees, you need not apologize to me" I said bending over to help her up. She grabbed my hand, and I helped her rise to her feet. I glared at the other two students. "Stuck up am I?" I asked pretending to be angry. They sat there, frightened obviously by my demeanor. "Oh calm down, I'm not angry, infact I'll take it as a complement" I said with a smile. "Ah…" Asaoka and the two other students stuttered. "Senpai! That's not funny, you were really scaring me!" Asaoka yelled, as she playfully pushed me. "Oh calm down I was only playing a practical joke" I said with a laugh. "You rarely ever joke!" Asaoka shouted in response. "Well then consider yourself lucky I've decided to play one on you, not many people can say they've seen me joke around before, and that goes for you two as well" I said pointing to the two unknown students. "Now if you will excuse me, I've got to continue cleaning up the classroom." I said walking over to the empty desk. They continued their conversation, and I didn't really pay any attention, after all it's not really any of my business.

"Hey um, Takeshi-sama" One of the students said. I stopped my cleaning and gave the female my attention "Yes?" I said politely. "Is it um…Are you really a Crimson Knight" she asked. _I asked Asaoka not to tell anyone… The last thing I need is half the school harassing me online…_ "Asaoka… I asked you to keep my online identity a secret." I said. "I… I'm sorry Senpai" Asaoka said. "Just try not to let it happen again, after all I assume you trust these two students, I suppose if you trust them, I've no reason not to trust them." I said, lifting Asaoka's sprits back up. "To answer your question: Yes, inside The World, I am Stance, Crimson Knight, and 1st Lieutenant of squad nine." I said with a proud tone. "That being said I beg you to keep that information to yourself, I would like to avoid any confrontations concerning classmates" I added. The two students whispered to themselves and then looked over at me.

"I've got so many questions!" One of them shouted while running over to me

"Hey wait so do I!" The other one said grabbing at my hand

"Hey! Wait!? What are you doing!? Sit down! I'll answer your questions!" I cried

_Sheesh… Hyperactive would be an understatement._

I glanced at Asaoka, who was giggling under her breath. "Alright, first off, tell me your names" I sighed. "Oh! I'm Shouko" One of the students said. "An honor to meet you Shouko-san" I said bowing to her. "And I'm Miho" The other one said. "An honor to meet you as well" I said bowing to her. "Now. One at a time, ask your questions" I said. "What's Subaru like?" Miho blurted out. "Lady Subaru is a good hearted and compassionate person, she is the epitome of what a leader should be, and I would gladly lay my life down to save hers" I said with confidence. "Wow… I just thought of her as some stuck up women" Miho admitted. "Not at all! She has the player's best interest at heart!" I shouted in response. "I see… Hey Takeshi-sama, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you loved Subaru" Miho said poking at fun at me. "Love? No, my admiration is not love… It's hard to explain, but I feel confident following Subaru, I've been doing it ever since I started playing. She helped save me, and has helped me to become the person I am today; I wouldn't call it love… I'd call it an extreme level of respect." I said. "Like a Knight feels about his king or queen?" Shouko asked. "That is a good way of putting it; yes I suppose that is correct." I admitted. "Are all the rumors going around about Tsukasa true?" Shouko asked. "Yes they are, he has the power to knock players unconscious in reality, I advise you against fighting him, should you spot him alert the Knights immediately, and exit the area" I explained. "Are the Knights close to catching him?" Shouko asked. "It's hard to say, he's been hopping around servers dodging our guard teams somehow, but rest assured, we will not rest until he is apprehended. "That reminds me Asaoka, we were going to go adventuring tonight, but… What if we should run into Tsukasa?" Shouko asked "Ah… Your right… Wait! I've an idea!" she said reaching into her pocket. I turned my attention to Miho, who was staring at me. _…She's giving me the creeps… Is something on my uniform?_ My cell phone started to vibrate in my pocket. "Oh? Excuse me" I said with a bow, and then turned away from the girls to see who was calling me. _I've never seen this number before… No excuse to be rude…_ "Hello?" I said answering the phone. "Seeeennnppaaaiiii! It's me Asaoka, My friend and I want to go adventuring, but we're afraid of what might happen… I was wondering…" Her voice echoed on the phone, and in reality. _Ah… Wha…_ I closed the phone, and smiled to myself. "Asaoka, I've got to work today" I said. "That's alright, we normally play at night anyway; Shouko has a job as well. I glanced back and forth between Asaoka, and Shouko. "Alright, but it will have to be after eight" I sighed. "That's perfect! 8:30 then!" Asaoka said. "Where shall I meet you?" I sighed. "Hmm… How about the Grunty Ranch in Dun Loireag?" Asaoka asked. "The Grunty farm in the Highland City… Very well, I'll accompany you" I said. _Like I have a choice? If I declined her I'd never hear the end of it. _"Thanks Senpai!" Asaoka said while hugging me. "A...Alright! Enough! Lunch is almost over, I've gotta finish cleaning the classroom" I said trying to push Asaoka off me. "Oh Senpai… You didn't eat lunch did you?" Asaoka asked. "No… I rarely do" I said. "That's no good; do you want me to make you a lunch for tomorrow?" Asaoka asked. _What!? She can't be serious!_ Miho and Shouko looked about as shocked as I did "No. that will not be necessary, now please, I must return to my duties." I said pushing at Asaoka again. "Alright Senpai" Asaoka said releasing me.

I cleaned up the classroom, and lunch was over, and before I knew it school was over as well. Now I had to get to my job. I made my way to my locker and placed all my supplies back inside. When I shut the door I was shocked to see Asaoka starring at me. "Ah! Don't sneak up on me like that" I said. "Don't be such a chicken Senpai, come on!" Asaoka said grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the school. "I can walk on my own!" I shouted as she pulled me along. "You remember were to meet me right?" Asaoka asked ignoring my previous comment. "Yes, the Grunty farm in Dun Loireag!" I shouted. "Good! Hey Senpai! Where do you work exactly?" Asaoka said stopping at the front gate. I stopped to regain my composure, "A café not far from here" I sighed. "Well I'll walk you over to it" Asaoka said. "What!? That's not really necessary" I said. "Nonsense come on!" Asaoka said dragging me out the front gate.

Asaoka and I made our way to the café that I work at, it's not really what you'd call a career, but the money helps my sister, and family should the need arise. "Well thanks for walking over here with me Asaoka-san" I said with a bow. "Not a problem, it's on my way home actually" Asaoka said. "Well I've got to get going, sooner I start working the sooner it'll be over with" I said. "Alright, don't strain yourself, I'll see you tonight! Don't be late!" Asaoka said as she ran off. "Alright!" I shouted as she ran off.

I made my way into the café, and back to the staff room. "Manager, I'm here, I'll start my duties now." I said with a deep bow. "Kane? Oh! Alright then, have a good one, call me if you need me." He said. "As you command" I said. _It's actually a pretty dead end job, but enough people come here to keep the café going, mostly students though seeing as how it's so close to the school, it's a regular hotspot. At least when school is in session, during the summer… Not so much._ I starred at the clock. "Should be any second now…" I muttered. The doors to the café burst open. "Phew! Made it!" James sighed aloud. "Barely, hurry up and clock in" I commanded. "Alright, alright" Dash sighed making his way back to the staff room. James returned in his employee outfit. "So hey Kane, I saw you leaving the school with Asaoka" James said. I nodded to him. "So umm… What's the deal between you two?" James asked. "What are you trying to imply? She's my assistant, and my friend." I said defensively. "No need to get angry, I'm just saying…" James said.

"James, I'll be adventuring with Asaoka today, so I doubt I will have time to adventure with you" I said. "So now you're going out to dungeons together huh? That's fine I had a prior engagement as well, you're not the only one with other friends" James said triumphantly. "Oh? What are you going to be doing?" I asked. "Um…We are… Just your average dungeon run with friends!" James said dismissively. "I see, well you make sure to stay out of trouble" I said coldly. "Yeah, yeah." James said

The hours went by slowly, and with barely any business, it seemed to take an eternity before Eight o'clock rolled around. I finished up cleaning while James took off for home, "The things I do" I sighed. I poked my head inside the mangers office "Everything's ready for tomorrow, I'll be leaving now" I said. "Alright, good job today Kane." He said with a friendly wave. "Thank you" I said with a bow. I made my way out of the café and checked my watch. _8:15…_ "Eight Fifteen!?" I shouted. "I've gotta hurry!" I said running down the road.

Luckily I was able to run fast enough, and I made it home with minutes to spare. I changed out of uniform, and flipped my terminal on. I didn't have any new emails, so I wasted no time, and jumped right into the world, I was still in Mac Anu, so I switched servers. I found myself standing next to the Dun Loireag chaos gate "Gotta hurry" I sighed. I walked across the narrow wooden bridges that connected the mountain tops together waving at the occasionally player, and saluting my fellow knights. I finally made it to the Grunty ranch. _It's been so long since we've played together in The World, I can barely remember what her character looked like. _"Senpai?" A voice startled me from behind. I turned around to face an armor clad girl, her hair was purple, and she had a long sword sheathed on her back. _She is calling me Senpai even online? Well at least I've found Asaoka_ "Asa-"I stopped to correct myself, I targeted her player character "Naito, I take it you are ready to go?" I asked. "I am Senpai, but we've gotta wait for Shouko" Naito said. "Very well" I said with a nod. "It's been awhile since I've seen your character Senpai; I've forgotten how different you look from the other Knights." Naito said. "Different? How so?" I asked. "You're taller than most, your face also differs from other knights, and your demeanor is better as well." Naito explained "Taller? I haven't noticed… But my face? How can you tell? It's covered up by my helmet" I asked. "Hard to explain, I just knew it was you by looking" Naito explained. "And what of my demeanor?" I asked. "It's better than most knights, you actually seem like an honest to goodness knight" Naito said. "I will take that as a compliment then" I said. _Quite a compliment indeed… _I couldn't help but smile back in the real world. "Sorry I'm late Naito" A player said from behind me. I spun around to confront the player. Her name read: Syua she was dressed in dark red robes, and had a small brown cap on her head, she was also carrying a very elegant looking staff, clearly a wavemaster. "Oh… Are you… Takeshi-sama?" Syua asked. "In The World, I'm Stance" I said gesturing to myself. "Ah… I've never met a Crimson Knight personally" Syua said. "There is no reason to be nervous, it is my duty to serve the players of this world, now tell me, where will we be adventuring today? I asked. "I already got an area ready, I've never been there before, and it's a little above my level so it should be a challenge for all of us: **Θ Great Passionate Noblemen. **"Sounds good" Syua said. "Very well, Naito, lead the way." I said. "Not so fast Senpai, you're going to be the leader!" Naito said. "Hm? Very well then, let us continue" I said pointing towards the chaos gate. _Normally when a Crimson Knight was in a party, he was to be the leader, this is an unofficial rule that was created by the knights, although I never really paid any attention to it, after all a good leader is a great follower, I didn't mind filling the role of follower, although I must admit I was normally the party leader when me and Dash adventured… I wonder if this unofficial rule has become common knowledge._ We approached the chaos gate, and inputted the appropriate key words, and were warped away.

The area was a large beach, littered with huge shells, and rocks. The sun was bright, and it made me squint if I looked into the sky for to long. "Let us explore the field before we venture into the dungeon" I said. "Alright Senpai" Naito said. "Ok" Syua said. We walked a short distance, but then… "Hey a Spring of Myst!" Syua shouted. She took of towards the spring, "Hey hold on! Do not run ahead like that!" I commanded as I ran after her. She ran around a large shell that was blocking her path, and then I heard it… The sound of a magic portal opening "As I thought… Syua! Fall back!" I commanded as I charged into battle. A hell hound jumped from behind the shell it was large enough to eat her, and it was brandishing its fangs. "Everyone! Operation Union Battle!" I cried as I neared the enemy. I jumped in front of Syua, and started my attack, Naito joined in with me. "Syua, Have you any strengthening spells?" I shouted back to her. "I've got a few!" She responded. "Syua! Use your strengthening spells on us!" I commanded. "Rip Saem!" Syua shouted as she cast the spell. My health now constantly regenerated over time, she cast it once more for Naito. "Alright Syua, conserve your power for healing, I want you on first aid!" I commanded. Naito and I sprang forth, attacking the Hell Hound with all our might. "Anid Spiral!" I shouted, using my strongest skill, "Rue Crack!" Naito shouted using a skill as well. Our attacks all hit at once, and the Hell Hound fell over dead. "We did it…" Syua sighed. I could hear the sounds of thunderous footsteps coming from behind a shell next to Syua, something big is coming! "It's not over yet! Syua get out of the way!" I shouted running towards her. A large monster clad in purple armor stepped out from behind the shell, its left hand was a large mace, and its right hand was a long lance. _I can't get to her in time… That Tetra armor is going to…_ The Tetra armor reared back its mace and prepared to attack. I jumped forward jumping in front of the monsters attack, taking it all. The attack knocked me to the floor, and made me somewhat dizzy, but other than that, the damage was not to severe. "Stance! Are you alright?" Syua cried. "You're on first aid! Heal me!" I commanded. "Naito maintain a defensive position around Syua, don't let her die, she's the key to our victory!" I yelled as I rose to my feet. Syua did as I commanded and healed me with a repth spell. I charged towards the Tetra armor, it turned its attention to me, and lunged its lance out to stab me. It moved slowly so I was able to see the attack coming, I jumped up on top of the lance, and charged towards the Tetra Armor's head. I slashed at a few times, until finally it brought it's mace up to knock me off, I was able to jump off it's head, and it bashed its own head in with its mace. "Its armor is too thick, physical attacks are not going to work!" I shouted. "Naito maintain your defensive position, I'll draw its attacks. Syua, I want you to hit it with your strongest spells, give it all you've got!" I ordered. "Yes, Senpai!" Naito shouted. "I'll do what I can" Syua said. I ran towards the monster, and started to attack, I inflected minimal damage, but I had drawn its attention to me. Its most powerful weapon is its lance; luckily I'm fast enough to dodge it. I weaved in and out of its attacks; occasionally I would roll between its legs causing it to waste more time by turning around. "Juk Zot! Syua shouted as she cast a wood elemental spell, trees rose from the ground, causing the Tetra armor to lose its balance, and tumble forward. I jumped on its back, and started cutting wildly into it's back, inflicting what little damage I could. "Hurry now, all together, use your strongest spells!" I commanded.

"MeJuk Kruz!" Syua yelled as she used a wood elemental spell

"Rue Rom!" Naito shouted as she used a water elemental spell

"Bi Ani Don!" I shouted, unleashing a powerful Dark elemental spell.

The Tetra armor fought to keep its balance, but eventually fell over, defeated. "The fool never stood a chance" I said triumphantly. "Excellent work Syua, you did great as well Naito" I complemented my team. But they just stood there looking at each other. Something on the bottom of my screen caught my attention.

**Syua: Let's use private chat, he won't be able to hear us that way… **

**Naito: Alright**

**Syua: He just jumped in front of that monster's attack; I've never seen any player do something like that.**

**Naito: Pretty cool isn't he? He told me back when we first played about his character, he's maxed out his characters defense, and speed. That's why he doesn't mind taking an attack for a party member, since the damage wouldn't be as bad on his character.**

**Syua: Wouldn't that make him a weak attacker?**

**Naito: It would ordinarily, but that's why he uses weapons that use the Darkness element.**

**Syua: I see! They offer the strongest attack power among all the weapons, so he uses that to balance himself out with adequate attack power, strong defense, and good speed right?**

**Naito: Yep, but the only downside I can think of is the rarity of Dark type weapons, they cost quite a bit of money, and are pretty hard to find, so he's at the mercy of GP.**

**Syua: But… Dark type weapons? That's not very noble is it?**

**Naito: I asked the same thing when I first met him, but he explained it like this: a weapon that is wielded by someone with honorable intent, becomes an honorable weapon. If there is no honor in the person wielding the weapon, then it just becomes another tool used to end lives.**

**Syua: That makes a lot of sense.**

**Naito: Yeah, he's got a pretty good philosophy about honor, and did you see how he acted in combat? It's like he forgot we were in a game.**

**Syua: Yeah… He really got into it; I had to keep focused just so I could follow his moves.**

**Naito: Yeah, he's pretty different from the other Crimson Knights**

**Syua: I'll say and I've only been playing with him for fifteen minutes now.**

**Naito: Take his combat posture for example, most Crimson Knights hold their weapon with both hands, but did you see Stance? He holds his with one hand, and is a lot faster than other Knights, you saw him doing all those acrobatics didn't you? He's so much more dexterous than the other Knights**

"They are not using private chat…" I sighed to myself. "I really should say something" I sighed

_But then again I did like what I was hearing… being praised like that… I wonder if Dash and Kasey were like this when we first met… I highly doubt it… _

"If I were to tell them now, it would just embarrass them" I sighed

**Syua: Oh! We're just standing here! Let's get back to the task at hand**

**Naito: Oh your right!**

Their characters started to move again, "I take it you are ready to continue?" I asked. "Yep! Let's go!" They both cheered. I couldn't help but crack a smile at what they were talking about. _It sure was nice to know they had such high views of me._ We wondered over to the Spring of Myst that Syua had noticed. Syua ran up to the Myst, and tossed an item into it, within seconds a large red translucent creature sprung from the spring. "Was it a golden axe you dropped, or was it a silver axe?" It asked. "Oh! It's a Grandpa! Maybe it'll upgrade the item you dropped." Naito mused. "Or it may downgrade it, use caution" I added. "Umm… It wasn't either of those" Syua said to the Grandpa. "What!? Nether one?" It asked in a shocked tone. "Hmm…" The Grandpa thought to itself. "Let's see… then is it this?" The Grandpa asked. The item shot forth from the spring, and was returned to Syua. "See you later, alligator…" The Grandpa said as it flew off into the sky, the Spring of Myst stopped glowing indicating it was no longer active. "Hey… This piece of armor… He gave me something better." Syua said studying the item. "Awesome" Naito mused. "It seems fortune smiles down upon you" I added. "Not really… its heavy armor, so I cannot wear it" Syua sighed. "You could give it to Naito then, blade masters, are able to equip such armor, or perhaps you could sell it to earn some GP" I said. "That's a good idea, I mean, I could really use some new armor, and my current set is so out of date" Naito sarcastically pleaded. "It's alright, here, take it Naito" Syua said handing the item over. "Oh thanks! I'll equip it right now!" Naito said.

**ALL FIELD PORTALS ACTIVATED.**

The message suddenly flashed on my screen.

"What? How is that possible, we've only triggered one!" I shouted as I scanned my surroundings. "Maybe someone else is here" Syua wondered aloud. "No, the gate said this place was empty, that's why I chose it" Naito said. My mind started playing through all sorts of scenario. _Where we followed? Who could it be…? Is it Tsukasa!?_ "I'm going to find who's responsible, I want you to maintain a safe distance behind me, if things start to look grim, I want you to gate out, and inform the Knights" I said seriously. Naito, and Syua nodded at me, and I took off sprinting searching the field. It didn't take long for me to spot who was responsible; he was riding around a Grunty, and beckoning the monsters to follow him. His Grunty wore a pair of large sun glasses over its eyes. The player was yelling off sarcastic remarks to the monster chasing him, and wildly spun a halberd about as he rode. "What is he doing?" Syua asked. "No idea, but he's really making a mess" Syua said. Before I could respond the entire group of monsters turned their attention towards Naito, Syua, and I. "Stand fast! They are preparing to attack!" I commanded. The group consisted of about nine monsters, one hell hound, four Tetra armors, and four ogres. "We can't take on all of them!" Naito cried out. "Non-sense! Just keep an eye on your flank and you'll be fine!" I shouted attempting to raise their moral. "Target the hell hound first! It is the fastest; you should be able to avoid the attacks of the Tetra Armor and Ogres!" I commanded. I charged in yelling to prove that I intended to attack, and in an attempt to raise moral for the group. I ran through the group of enemies, slashing and cutting enemies as I charged forward. Eventually the entire group turned around to attack me. "Don't just sit there! Flank them!" I commanded to Naito and Syua. Naito used the same attack pattern as me, albeit she was slower than I was, and had a hard time avoiding the attacks. "Don't get yourself surrounded, just keep moving" I commanded. Naito and I ran forward attacking in unison; we'd both attack a single monster as much as we can before moving on to the rest. The Hell Hound deviated from the group, "Naito! Syua needs support, get over there and help her!" I commanded. "But what about you Senpai!" Naito asked jumping over a Tetra Armor's attack. "We need Syua's magic to support us, don't worry about me, make sure she lives!" I commanded as I parried and attack from a Tetra Armor's lance. Naito left my side and ran towards Syua to assist her. "Don't think it will be easy!" I shouted to the monsters surrounding me. I jumped forward landing on a Tetra armor, I attacked as much as I could before it raised it's mace to swat me away. I jumped off landing on an Ogres shoulders, they were much more agile than the Tetra Armors, and reacted quickly to my actions; I could only attack once before I was forced to jump off. I continued this pattern until I had attacked all eight monsters. I was safe on the ground, but I inflicted minimal damage. "Their physical defense is too high, our only hope is magic." I sighed aloud. I ran past the group of monsters, and over to the Hell hound who was attacking Naito, and Syua. "Get ready the whole group is following me!" I commanded as I started to slash at the Hell Hound. "Syua, start casting spells, we need your magic!" I commanded parrying an attack from the Hell Hound. "Uhh…Right…! Juk Rom!" Syua shouted unleashing a tornado of razor sharp leaves. The Hell hound fell over defeated, but we didn't have the time to celebrate our victory. "What about the others!?" Syua shouted. "We'll die for sure" Naito said. "Then we die with honor!" I said charging towards the group of enemies.

As I neared the group, the player from before came charging in, knocking over a few of the monsters with his halberd, he charged in and out of the group inflicting as much damage as he could. "I cannot allow you to attack these players!" The player shouted. I finally got a good look at the player… His hair was a dark shade of green, and he was garbed in a red robe.

_That is… No… Why does it have to be…_

"Crim…" I sighed aloud.

Crim got the attention of the group, and he began to fight all eight monsters by himself. "Think he'll be able to take them all on?" Syua asked as she ran up to me. "No, not by himself…" I sighed looking over at Crim. _He is using his Grunty in combat… He's easily able to dodge the attacks of the monsters, and the extra speed he is getting must make for greater attack power… Very well… I'll use my Grunty as well!_

"I want both of you on First Aid, Make sure you keep me healed" I said. "Why Senpai what are you going to do?" Naito asked. I looked through my inventory until I located my Grunty Flute. "A Knight doesn't just do battle on foot you know. We make excellent heavy calvary!" I boasted. I played my Grunty flute, and awaited for my Grunty to make its appearance.

**CLANG CLANG CLANG **

The sounds echoed across the field.

"Sire! What do you require of me!?" My Grunty cried as it ran across the field towards me. "Kishidou my friend, today we ride into battle!" I cried as I jumped on its back and readied my sword. "Very well sire! Let us sally fourth!" Kishidou my Grunty cried with pleasure as it stomped its hooves, making a deafening "clang"

"Now! Let us show them our ire! Charge!" I commanded pointing my sword towards the battle. Kishidou stomped its hooves once again, and then charged towards the enemy. I lowered my sword as I approached, and slashed at the Ogres legs. "Very good Kishidou, come around for another pass." I commanded. "Hey you there! You joining the party? That's fine by me!" Crim shouted as he charged though the group again. I focused my attacks on the Ogres, dodging and weaving through their attacks; Crim focused on the Tetra Armors. With my Grunty's added speed my attack power was doubled, and the Ogres fell fairly quickly. I stopped to savor my victory over the Ogres, but while I was doing so Crim rode up to me. "Oh hey! A Crimson Knight, tell me, how is Subaru?" Crim asked nonchalantly. _Does he not recognize who I am? The arrogant… I thought my anger towards him was a thing of the past… But it's only been renewed…_ "Why have you come back Crim?" I asked hatefully. "Hm? Something wrong?" Crim asked. I ignored his question and charged towards the Tetra Armor's deciding I'd take my anger out on them. Since my attack was doubled I was able to damage them normally now, making the fight easier. As I fought I noticed Crim made his way over to Naito, and Syua. "Did he just leave me here!?" I shouted in anger. "Hello ladies, you look as though you are in need!" Crim said with a deep bow. I lost my focus completely "What is he doing!?" I cried in anger. As I yelled in anger I didn't notice a Tetra Armor in front of me. It threw its lance forward, knocking me off my Grunty, and nearly killing me. I cried out in anger, and turned towards Syua expecting her to heal me, but Crim stood in her way, flaunting himself around. "He's doing that on purpose!" I yelled in anger. The Tetra armor stood over to me and raised its mace high into the air. I yelled out in anger, and jumped to my feet. I jumped forward landing on the neck of the Tetra Armor; I reached inside of its helmet and used to support me. I let out a fierce battle cry as I shoved my sword deep into its large red eye, "Die!" I cried out in anger. The Tetra armor fell over dead, and I turned to face the others. I am not even in the mood!" I shouted as I charged forward. I started attacking as fast as I could, but they moved to surround me, one Tetra armor reared its lance back to stab me, but I rolled under another Tetra Armor, and its lance ended up impaling the other Tetra Armor. As the other Tetra armor tried to remove its lance from the dead Tetra Armor, I jumped onto its head and stabbed its red eye repeatedly. "Just one left!" I cheered. I turned to face it, and decided I wouldn't even grace it with a fight.

"MeAni Zot!" I cried unleashing a powerful Darkness spell that caused large claws to rise out of the ground and impale the target.

"MeAni Zot!"

"MeAni Zot!!"

"MeAni Zot!!"

I continued using the skill until I didn't have the sp to continue, the Tetra Armor was long past dead, but I kept going trying to help release my anger, but it didn't work… I turned to face Crim, who was still conversing with Naito, and Syua. I looked down at my character realizing I was still badly injured, and my HP was low; my armor was cracked, and in some places completely ripped apart, my helmet was also cracked, exposing the upper left portion of my face. I checked my inventory for a potion, but was unable to find one "Of course… and I don't have the appropriate equipment to allow me to cast healing spells…" I sighed in anger. _I can't believe I forgot to buy healing equipment… How foolish of me…_ "Sire!? Are you alright?" Kishidou asked as he approached me. "I'll be fine, you've served me well today, please return to town until I require your assistance again." I said dismissing the Grunty. "Yes sire!" It said attentively, before storming off into the distance, making loud clanging noises as it did. I limped up towards Syua, desperate for her healing capabilities. "Syua, if you could" I said trying my best to keep my anger towards Crim, and not treat her badly. "Ahh! We completely forgot about you Senpai!" Naito gasped. "Oh my! Forgive us!" Syua said bowing "Just… Heal me" I commanded. "Yes of course" Syua said casting numerous repth spells on me. My character returned to its normal appearance; my armor no longer battered and broken. I turned my attention to Crim "As expected from an honorless dog! You left me alone back there!" I shouted in anger. "Hey wait, calm down buddy, I just came over to help out these fine ladies" Crim said, obviously taken back by my yelling. "By leaving me to fend for myself?!" I shouted. "Well umm… It's because I knew you could handle them!" Crim said while he flashed me a thumbs up. "Spare me the theatrics Crim." I said coldly. "So… Uhh… Hey! Just how is Subaru?" Crim asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "Lady!" I said, dragging the word out "Subaru is just fine, infact the Crimson Knights have been doing quite well since you left us" I said bluntly. "Well that's good news, oh! How's old Silver Knight doing?" Crim asked. "The Captain is doing just fine." I said spitefully. "Captain… So… Wait… Are you… You're Stance aren't you?" Crim asked. _As if he couldn't target my character and see…_ I nodded, deciding not to grace him with a proper response. "Oh man how have you been?" Crim asked grabbing my shoulder and shaking me. I pushed his hand away "I was doing a lot better." I said coldly. Crim was oblivious to my anger, before he could ask another question I interrupted him. "Just what are you doing back Crim? I thought you'd left for good" I asked. "I had a business trip! Don't tell me you're not happy to see me? Remember all the fun we had back in the day? Heck I remember it like it was yesterday; teaching you the basics, man that seemed so long ago." Crim said scratching his back.

_Teaching me the basics…_

"_Like this?" I asked as I swung my sword horizontally_

"_No, you're leaving yourself open swinging like that, keep your composure, and use your whole body when you attack, keep yourself moving." Crim explained _

"_Yes Sensei" I said with a bow._

_I ran forward attacking Crim, trying to follow his instructions. Just as I thought I had the advantage over him, he vaulted over me, and swiped me off my feet using the blunt end of his halberd._

"_Hey! What was that?" I shouted_

"_Don't be so angry, it's a lesson; you've gotta be more attentive, expect the unexpected, not everyone you'll fight will be honorable and duke it out with you dueling style, you've gotta adapt to the situation if you wish to prevail!" Crim explained_

"_But…" I said_

"_Look, you could have Silver Knight teach you, and that'd be fine, but your character's more built towards speed. Fighting like Silver Knight with the way you've built your character would be a waste, and trust me, speed is my specialty, so get up, and let's do this again." Crim explained _

"_You're wrong; I've built my character to be defensive… That is my highest stat… I made my speed high because it would help me parry attacks. I made my character to be a defender…" I sighed._

"_Why not be both?" Crim asked_

"_What? How?" I asked_

"_Beef up your attack with dark element weapons, that'd way your attack would at the very least be average, and you'd maintain your great defense and speed." Crim explained._

"_Dark element?" I asked pondering the thought._

"_Yeah! I'll have you kicking butt in no time" Crim said with a thumbs up._

"_Now come on, once more!" Crim commanded raising his Halberd._

_That was back when I thought of Crim as a noble person… I may even have gone as far as to call him my friend… Heck Silver Knight and I were always out patrolling with Crim, but over the years his actions got to erratic… and eventually all he, and Silver Knight did was argue… Then he quit… He isn't a bad person… But he was a horrible Knight… A disgrace to us all, but I shouldn't treat him badly like I am now…_

"Umm Stance? You still there?" Crim said playfully. "You're not going to see Lady Subaru are you?" I asked. "What…? Well I was thinking about it…" Crim said. "I see… Then you would do well to avoid contact with Silver Knight, he hasn't been thinking to highly of you lately" I said turning my back to Crim. "Huh? Oh, thanks! I don't want to spark a conflict" Crim said. "Think nothing of it" I said dismissively. "Naito, Syua, we are heading to the dungeon, lets get going." I said. "Alright Senpai" Naito said walking ahead with Syua in tow. "Moving on huh? Well be careful Stance" Crim said. "Crim… Remember, we still hold authority here, do not let me catch you doing something unlawful…" I said coldly. "Oh don't worry I'll be a good" Crim said. "Oh… and… Welcome back…" I muttered under my breath as I walked away.

We made our way to the dungeon entrance, which essentially was a giant shell sticking out of the ground. "Fitting" Naito said studying the entrance. "Let's not waste more time, move out!" I commanded entering the dungeon ahead. The dungeon was made entirely out of flesh, as if we were inside the creature that previously occupied the shell. _I hate dungeons like this… It's so gross…_ "Good thing I've already eaten" Syua said examining the dungeon. "Yeah this is pretty disgusting, I had no idea the dungeon would be a flesh wall dungeon… Yuck" Naito said. "Let's not get distracted, we've still have a goal to accomplish" I said. "Hey Senpai, you've got a pretty neat Grunty" Naito said. "Oh? You mean Kishidou? Yes he is my loyal Steel Grunty" I said. "Yeah? All I ever get is noble Gruntys" Syua sighed "Me too" Naito sighed. _Noble Gruntys… Yeah… I've gotten at least twenty of them, thanks the stars they disappear if you've already gotten one of the same type before… I don't think I could stand to raise that many noble Gruntys…_ "Yes well, I have had my shares of noble Gruntys as well; thankfully I was able to stop the loop, and I received my steel Grunty" I said trying to cheer them up. "Yeah? So could you help me raise my Grunty, Senpai??" Naito asked excitingly. "I can do that" I said. "Great! I'm just sick of getting nothing but Noble Gruntys" Naito sighed.

We entered the next room, and immediately a magic portal activated sending two Tetra Armors out. "I'm really getting sick of these!" I shouted as I readied my sword. "Don't worry, I'm getting pretty used to them, we'll beat them!" Naito said confidently.

"Yeah!" Syua said in agreement. "That's the spirit! But remember we're in close quarters now, we don't have very much room to maneuver, and there is a pretty deep cliff right next to us, be smart, and we will come out on top!" I shouted. "Now! Have at the enemy!" I shouted as I charged forward

We fought our way through the dungeon. The dungeon's layout was very confusing, we kept running into dead ends, the whole area was littered with magic portals, infact I think their may have been one in every single room… When we reached the second floor we started running into two different types of monsters: The Phoenix Queen, and the Mystery rock, both were immune to the wood element, making Syua's magic useless against them. We just had to protect Syua, and make sure she had enough skill points to keep us healthy. We finally arrived at the fourth floor of the dungeon, as with all the other floors it was littered with magic portals, and some rooms even had two! So our metal was really put to the test. When all was said and done we cleared the entire dungeon, not leaving a single magic portal standing.

"Hey! Over there! We haven't been in that room!" Syua shouted pointing across to a small doorway (that was made out of the flesh of a creature, so I really don't know if it was a doorway… Maybe a fleshway?). "That must be the Gott statue room! Let's go!" Naito said running forward. She was correct, before us stood a Gott Statue, and a treasure chest containing who knows what. "Well Senpai? Go open it!" Naito said nudging me forward. "Very well" I said bending down, and opening the chest.

"Received: Rode of Gales"

"Received: Yellow Candy"

"Received: Yellow Candy"

I checked the stats on the staff; it was wood based staff, meaning Syua could put it to good use. "Syua, here, this is for you, I trust you will put it to good use" I said handing her the staff. "Wha? Ha! Thanks!" Syua cried merrily. "And take this as well" I said handing her one of the Yellow Candies. "You're to kind" Syua sighed looking over the items I had handed her. "Naito, I'm afraid there wasn't anything in there for us blademasters, so this will have to serve as compensation" I said handing her the other Yellow Candy. "What about you Senpai? You only get three items from Gott Statue treasure chest" Naito asked worriedly. "I've no need for such an item, besides; you've earned it" I said handing the item over to her. "But I'd hate for you to walk away empty handed…" Naito said. "Non-sense, it was an honor to adventure with such fine players, that in its self is a reward" I said confidently. "Senpai you're too kind" Naito said softly. "Yeah thanks…" Syua said

My concentration was broken by the sound of my cell phone ringing.

"Excuse me ladies, I have a phone call." I said with a bow. I lifted up my HMD and picked up my cell phone "James?" I said aloud reading the caller ID. "Hello?" I said answering the phone. Staggered breathing was all I heard at first, it sounded like James was trying to catch his breath. "K-Kane… Your not gonna believe this-"James said but was cut off mid-sentence by his own coughing. "James? Are you alright? You don't sound so-"I started but was interrupted by James, "Listen, Kane… I fought that Tsukasa guy in Theta Reckless Lifeless March, and I don't know what happened…" James said but cut himself off to cough again. "I'll explain later… But I feel like my whole body has been beat repeatedly with a baseball bat or something… I don't get it… It's just a game…" James stuttered. _What… Is he…No… He's serious… What if he ends up like Silver Knight!? _"James!" I shouted. "Listen, Kane! There were more… Four other players are there with me! They were all long-arms… I don't know if they feel as bad as I do… But I'm too weak to go back; you have to go check on them, Kane!" James pleaded. Before I could respond I heard the phone drop; all I could hear was coughing, and the sound of running water.

"James!?" I shouted

"Tsukasa!" I shouted as I threw my phone down onto the floor. I scrambled back to my HMD, noticing Naito, and Syua where still waiting on me. "There's been an incident, I have to head back immediately" I said coldly. "Uh… Senpai… Is everything ok?" Naito asked worriedly. I didn't respond, I used my sprite ocarina, and the entire party was transported out of the dungeon, I immediately gated out of the area taking my party with me. Upon returning to Dun Loireag, I shouted as loud as I could "I want every single Crimson Knight with me right now! I don't want any excuses, get over here!" I yelled, causing nearly all the players to stop and stare at me. "What are you waiting for!? Get over here or I will throw you out myself you worthless fools!" I shouted. Several Knights hustled over to me. "What's wrong sir?!" One of them said. "Tsukasa has just been reported in the following area: **Θ Reckless Lifeless March** we're going there to capture him! Inform all command!" I cried. I switched my chat mode over to guild chat, and put out an emergency order for all Knights to converge on the area. Without thinking twice I warped to the appropriate area. "Spread out! Locate the wave master, and show him no mercy! Keep an eye out for victims, report all findings to me!" I shouted as I ran forward searching the area. I searched around every stone; luckily there were no monsters so I didn't have to bother with them. "Damn! Where is he!?" I shouted. "Senpai! Wait a second!" Naito shouted from behind me. "Asaoka!? What are you doing here!?" I yelled inadvertently using her real name. "You forgot to disband the party Senpai, and I was warped to this area with you" Naito explained. "Where's Shouko!?" I asked. "She left when all those Knights approached us" Naito explained. "It's not safe here! Get out of here immediately!" I yelled at her. "No Senpai! I want to help!" Naito yelled in response. Before I could respond to her, I received a flash-mail.

**Dash: Stance, I'm up here. I'm at the top of the dungeon.**

"The Dungeon!" I shouted running off in its direction. I drew my weapon, and made my way inside. I climbed the stairs as fast as I could, as I reached the top I was greeted by Dash; his clothing was torn, and his character was badly beaten. "H-hey… It's nice to see the cavalry's arrived" Dash said, his voice sounding just as weak as it did over the phone, although there was a definite difference in his attitude. _Was he really taking this so lightly as to make a joke like that?_ "Heal yourself, Dash" I commanded. "I would… But I already used all of my recovery items on the others" Dash said with a loud sigh, and pointed to a corner of the balcony, There lay the bodies of four female players, their clothing was torn, and their bodies badly bruised. "My god…" I said studying the players. "They're all friends of mine, from America… I'm the one who asked them to come play here in the Japanese server to begin with… I had no idea things would turn out like this though…" Dash spoke up, taking a few steps towards them, although his reluctance was obvious. _Friends of his..._ "James, what were the-"I was cut-off by his words; his back facing me as he spoke softly. "They… they were all my friends… Club… Spade… Heart… Diamond…" Dash explained. He paused for a moment before speaking again "No… Jamie…Cassie…Sarah…Laura" Dash said correcting himself. "I can't help but feel like I let them down somehow, you know?" Dash sighed. _His friends… Damn you Tsukasa…_"James… How did all of this happen?" I asked. "What? Oh… Well… The truth is they… No… We all came here to find Tsukasa" Dash said as he turned around to face me. Although I couldn't see the expression behind his avatar's façade, I could guess at the shame it had to hold. Just looking at his character, and his friends made me feel sorry for him, I couldn't bring myself to express my anger at Dash… "Um… You are… James?" Naito said, poking her head out from behind me. "Naito… I asked you to leave this area…" I sighed when I noticed her presence. "Huh? Oh… How'd you know my name? I'm sorry, do I know you?" Dash responded. Naito's attention was captured by the corpses of the four females "Senpai… Is this…" Naito stuttered. "Yes… It is the work of Tsukasa" I said placing my hand on her shoulder trying to calm her. "Are they… Like the other…?" Naito stammered. It pained me to answer her question, especially with Dash standing right behind me. "I… I'm afraid so…" I said, tightening my grip on her shoulders. "Will they be alright…?" Naito asked stunned by their condition. "Silver Knight was able to recover… I see no reason why they wouldn't" I said trying to boost Dash's, and Naito's moral.

**Sir, we've searched the entire area, Tsukasa has obviously fled from this area.**

The Flash-mail read

**Very well, assemble a patrol team, and send the remaining knights to the top most balcony on the dungeon, I've found the victims, and a survivor.**

I responded.

The remaining Knights assembled around Dash, Naito, and I.

"Dash… You said you knew these players in real life…" I said "Yeah they were all my friends back in America…" Dash sighed. "Their families… Can you alert them to their condition? They will need medical attention immediately" I asked, turning my head to look him in the eyes. "Y-yeah, I should do that now…" Dash stammered. "Wait a moment" I said before he left. I sent a party invitation, and he joined the Party Naito and I had formed earlier. "James… Asaoka… I know what I'm about to ask is… tough… But I beg you… Please keep all of this to yourself… Especially back at school… We do not want to be responsible for causing an uproar, their could be a horrible backlash, and more players may end up in this state" I said in party chat, so the other knights could not over hear our conversation. "Yeah… I was thinking the same thing- Wait, Asaoka? You mean you're Asaoka from school!? Well that explains it..." Dash said with a hint of relief. "But I need to go make those phone calls, alright? I'm going, Stance" Dash said as he stepped inside the Dungeon. "Very well" I said with a nod. I turned my attention to Asaoka, and hopped she would agree with my decision "I won't tell anyone Senpai… You don't have to worry about me… I agree with your decision" Naito said. "Thanks Asaoka-san" I said with a deep bow. I switched back to normal chat, and turned to the cluster of Knights. "Search the dungeon, he may still be there, make sure these two civilians are unharmed" I commanded. "Yes Sir!" they all shouted at once. As they took off to search the dungeon, I looked through my inventory for an item…_ I was told this item was to only be used in emergencies… I think this qualifies as one…_ I selected the items, and used it.

**CONTACTING SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION**

The words flashed across my screen as if to warn me of some impending danger. "Asaoka-san, go help James, I've got business to take care of" I said to her softly. "Senpai… Are you sure?" Naito asked. "Don't worry, besides James will need your help" I responded. "Alright Senpai…" Naito sighed as she walked back into the dungeon.

"Stance… You have better have a good reason for contacting the System Administration, I haven't time for petty offences such as player killing" A voice echoed throughout the field. I dropped to my knees immediately "Sir, it concerns… The wave-master Tsukasa" I said. "What? About him?" The voice asked in an annoyed tone. I rose from to my feet, and gestured towards the corpses of the four women, "Sir, Tsukasa has attacked these players, and if it's anything like before… They have been knocked unconscious in the real world" I said. "Nonsense! We have restricted access to that players account! He is no longer able to access The World!" The voice said in a condescending tone. "Sir… I do not mean to overstep my authority, but a survivor of Tsukasa's attacked confirmed to us, that it was indeed him" I said. The sky suddenly started to flash with a bright light, and before me stood a normal looking NPC, but it was clear to me this one was possessed by the system administrator, I recognized the NPC this administrator was using. _Lios… It figures I get the most arrogant of all administrators…_ Lios walked over to the corpses of the players, and attempted to revive them using a spell, he grunted when he noticed his spell had no effect. "This doesn't make any sense… How can he surpass our restrictions…?" Lios sighed to himself.

"Sir! We've located another victim!" A Knight yelled dragging the corpse of another player character. "Place it over there near the others, do not let them touch" I commanded. Lios walked over to the newly found player and kneeled down to examine him. "No… He…" Lios stammered. "Lios, Tsukasa has attacked five players in cold blood, and it has had horrible consciences to their real life bodies" I said to Lios. He didn't respond. "Lios… What does CC corp. intend to do about this?" I asked trying to keep my anger in check. "We are doing all we can… I suggest you do the same." Lios said as he slowly disappeared.

_Just what are they going to do…?_

I turned my attention to the five corpses; they lay there limp, battered, and bruised. "Even if it's just an online game…" I said making my way over to the corpses. I moved them into a single column, crossing their hands over their chest, as I did my best to make them look dignified. "How could anyone do something like this…?" I sighed underneath my breath. "Alright, all done…All of their parents have been notified. They'll all be fine now" Dash explained to Naito as he returned to the balcony. I turned to face him, "Dash… I assure you… His actions will not go unpunished" I said to Dash. "I know they won't. That's why I want to help now, Stance. I'm going to help however I can to stop this sick player" Dash said with confidence. "Dash… This is a matter best left… To the Crimson Knights" I said softly. "I said I'll help however I can, we'll leave it at that… Look, I'm going to go rest a bit, my body still hurts from that fight with Tsukasa. This is good night Stance, and good night to you too Asaoka. I'm sorry you had to see this" Dash said before he gated out of the area. "Wait a-" I tried to stop him before he left, but was unsuccessful. "What a mess…" I sighed aloud. "Senpai… I'll help you as well" Naito said. "No, I could never forgive myself if something happened to you Asaoka-san, I want you safe, I just wish Dash would understand how I feel" I sighed. "You don't want my help Senpai?" Naito asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. "No that isn't what I meant… I just do not want anymore deaths like this, it's not your responsibility Asaoka-san; it's mine" I said with a sigh. "But you shouldn't try fight a battle all by yourself Senpai, after all, in times of war, sometimes peasants would rise to fight for their village" Naito said, obviously trying to relate to my interest in the medieval time period. "But only if the situation became dire, my decision remains; I cannot stand by and let another innocent player die like this, I hope Subaru is in a good mood, this will surely upset it…" I sighed staring off into the distance. "Senpai… You best be careful" Naito said with a forced smile. "I will, I'll make sure he pays for all he's done, I owe it to them" I said nodding towards the corpse of Tsukasa's victims. "I've got to report to Subaru… Naito, isn't it getting late?" I asked. "I don't have a bed time Senpai; I'm not a kid you know" Naito said turning away from me. "That's not what I meant, I just don't want you slacking on the job tomorrow" I said playfully. "Yeah I'm sure" Naito said rolling her eyes. "Seriously though Asaoka-san, try to get some sleep, and please… Keep what's happened here to yourself" I said. "Don't worry Senpai, I'll keep my mouth shut, I wouldn't betray your trust, after all it was really hard to gain" Naito said poking at me. "Well I'm gonna go Senpai, don't you dare over work yourself" Naito said. "No promises" I said as she warped out of the area.

I checked my member address list, to see if Subaru was actually online, and she was. "Man… There is no putting it of, I've got to go report this to her…" I sighed. I entered the dungeon, and told the guards to watch over the bodies of the players and report any abnormalities, with that I gated out of the area, and rushed to Mac Anu. I entered the root town, and it was cast in darkness "The whole world seems to be weeping tonight…" I sighed as I ran towards the bridge. I looked around trying to locate Lady Subaru; I spotted her in the canal on her boat, Silver Knight was in her company as well. "M'lady!" I shouted over the bridge at Lady Subaru. She turned her attention to me. "M'lady, I have urgent news!" I yelled running down the streets, following her boat. The boat maneuvered over to the edge of the canal, and Lady Subaru stepped off. "This had better be good Stance" Silver Knight said coldly. "I'm afraid it isn't" I sighed. "What's wrong Stance…?" Subaru asked. I snapped to attention as she spoke to me "M'lady… I regret to inform you… That Tsukasa has been located… He had already fled before we arrived… But he left nothing but destruction in his wake… Five players… He killed five players in total using that monster… A survivor was located in the field, and he confirmed the identity of the attack, no doubt about it, it was Tsukasa, the survivor was lucky enough to personally know the victims of the attack, and has alerted their parents, so I suspect they will be alright… Although; there is the case of the fifth player, which at this point is unidentified." I explained. Lady Subaru and Silver Knight stood there for a moment, taking in what I had explained to them. "Is that true?" Subaru asked with a shocked tone. "Yes M'lady" I said. Subaru looked down towards the ground, and let out a light sigh. "Lady Subaru… If he has started to use the monsters power against players now…" Silver Knight said. "Don't say it…" Subaru interrupted. "If it… If Sora is right… and the Wave-master is still playing… Considering his access restrictions… It means he is the only one in The World playing outside of the rules… He is outside all the system parameters" Subaru said softly. Silver Knight chuckled to himself, and smiled manically to himself. _Silver Knight…?_ "We need a plan, I would like to speak with him personally" Subaru commanded "The character called Tsukasa is now wanted on all servers in this universe; capture, and bind him" Subaru commanded. "As you wish… M'lady" Silver Knight said, hiding his wicked grin behind the shadows of Mac Anu.

Lady Subaru boarded her boat, and continued her previous activity, leaving Silver Knight and myself alone. "Silver Knight… Who is… Sora?" I asked. "Sora? He is a despicable player killer that is helping Subaru with our wave master problem" Silver Knight spat. "A player killer!?" I blurted out. "Yes… He is one of the outsiders Subaru has enlisted to help…" Silver Knight said. _A player killer… Why would Lady Subaru… I do not understand… Has the situation become that dire? Are we relying on player killing scum now…? And what about Silver Knight… He has an air of…rebellion… around him._ "Stance… I have no idea what Lady Subaru is thinking anymore…" Silver Knight said coldly. "Sir?" I asked. "No… It's nothing" Silver Knight said dismissively. "Stance I'm placing you on standby, I have your phone number so I will call if you are required…" Silver Knight said to me, and then he walked off leaving me there on the edge of the canal.

_Tsukasa… What have you done to this world…? What have you done to the knights…? Forcing Lady Subaru to do such actions… And the way Silver Knight is acting… You are to blame Tsukasa… For the people you've heart… and the peace you've threatened… _

_I promise you…_

_Revenge…_


	6. Chapter 6

Alot of things have been going on in reality, sorry I haven't been able to update the story (For the three of you actually following it) This is a pretty short chapter, although a critical one for future events. Read carefully, and please alert me to any spelling or grammar mistakes!

**.Hack****// ****Vision**

Chapter 6: Captured

Important events in the .hack Timeline: Tsukasa is captured by the Crimson Knights

Perspective: Stance

_Tsukasa…_ "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long" I sighed as I made my way to the hospital holding my sister. "I need to go in there with a positive attitude… I can't let Yoko see me like this" I sighed as I approached the doors to the hospital. The doors slid open and the receptionist greeted me "Just head on back, you know where it is right?" The receptionist said. "Yes ma'am I do, thank you" I said with a bow. I made my way deeper into the hospital; navigating to the patients ward. I opened Yoko's door to find her asleep in bed. "Asleep? She's supposed to be up by this hour" I sighed remembering the rules I laid out for her when she was first admitted to the hospital. I walked over to her, "Might as well let her sleep… She's earned that much" I said examining her. "Back again?" A voice emerged from hallway. I spun around to see who had spoken "Oh… Natsuko… Yeah, just about every day…" I said turning my attention back to Yoko. "She must be tired, we went out to eat after watching that movie; I don't think she's used to all the activity." Natsuko said while she approached me. "I am… Thankful you are willing to do such things with her" I said. "Oh? Not a problem, its criminal how they keep her cramped up in here" Natsuko said. "Yeah…" I nodded. "She talks about you a lot ya know, all she did yesterday was brag about her big brother" Natsuko said. _I should feel happy…_ "Yeah… But it's because she's stuck here… She doesn't have any other friends with the exception of you… I'm sure if the incident never happened, we'd be fighting like brother and sister should be" I said with a sigh. "Her parents… I haven't really seen them around, do they not visit often?" Natsuko asked. "Work keeps them away, normally their on long business trips to other countries… When they are here, they normally keep to themselves. They pay the rent on the apartment, and give me enough money for food, other than that… It's just me" I said. "I see… So they are neglectful parents" Natsuko said coldly. _She doesn't have to be so blunt about it…_ "They support me, and of course; they support Yoko as well, they just…" I sighed. "I won't press the issue" Natsuko said dismissively. I let out a soft sigh of relief. "I've got to get going…" I said glancing at the clock. I leaned over and kissed Yoko on the cheek and made my way towards the exit. "Alright then Kane, your sister will be waiting for your next visit" Natsuko said. "Or should I say…Sisters?" She added in a playful tone. _She hasn't forgotten…_ "Just make sure she gets an adequate amount of sleep" I snapped back to her. "Yes sir!" Natsuko said saluting me sarcastically. I made my way out of the hospital, and on to school.

I made it to school at about the same time as yesterday, the school was nearly deserted except for the occasional student running errands for their teacher, or club. I made my way inside and opened my locker and on top of my supplies, was another letter. "This is getting ridiculous" I sighed. I grabbed my supplies and left the letter in my locker, because I already knew what it read. I made my way up to the third floor, and opened the classroom door. "Good morning Senpai" Asaoka said with a friendly wave. _She seems normal enough… I hope last night's events didn't frighten her to much… _ "Oh? You got here before me again? You're waking up earlier just to make me look like a slacker are you not?" I asked playfully. "I've got to make myself look good for the next election" Asaoka said. "What!? Are you serious!?" I gasped. "Of course not" Asaoka said with a giggle. "That is not something to joke about!" I shouted. "Oh come on, you don't think I'd make a good class representative?" Asaoka asked. "That is not what I mean, you would make an excellent representative" I said. "Oh I get it, you just don't want to lose your assistant right?" Asaoka said playfully. "You were the best candidate for the position, and you have not let me down" I said. "Yeah, I guess I've gotten used to it, but it wasn't always easy; you remember?" Asaoka said. "Back then…You were pretty cold towards me; you would come in, and you would be all business, you wouldn't talk to me unless it was related to your duties. You wouldn't even use my name, you'd just call me "assistant"… To be honest… Back then, I hated it" Asaoka said as she daydreamed about the past. "Hated it? I was not that bad, was I?" I asked somewhat hurt by her comments. "It wasn't something I looked forward to, and I remember you used to force me to stay in the class and help you clean when the rest of the students went to lunch, my social life suffered from it that's for sure" Asaoka said. "And despite all of that, you never complained to me, you never argued with me, and you never questioned me. I started to feel bad about how I was treating you, and then some of your friends caught me while I was alone, they were so angry at how I was treating you… One of them punched me right across the face, and then he proceeded to beat me down." I explained as I recalled the events. "What!?" Asaoka gasped. "You did not know?" I asked with a chuckle. "No… I had no idea" Asaoka said. "Yes… Pretty loyal friends if their willing to punch the class representative in your name. It took a good punch in the face to make me realize I was treating you that badly, after that I made sure to treat you better" I said laughing at Asaoka's lack of knowledge. "I do not say this often… But thanks for all your hard work, and loyalty" I said seriously. "You don't have to thank me, it's my pleasure" Asaoka said with a smile.

Asaoka and I were able to clean the classroom before any students showed up. School was about to start so I began calling roll.

"You think James will show up today?" Asaoka asked peering down at the clipboard. "No, he'll stay at home…" I said checking the clipboard. "Hopefully resting" I added. "You don't think he'd go out looking for Tsukasa do you?" Asaoka whispered. "After what happened to his friends? I would be surprised if he did not" Before Asaoka could respond the teacher made his way into the room. "Take your seat Asaoka, we will have to discuss this later" I whispered to her. I turned towards the teacher and snapped to attention "Good morning Sensei" I said.

I couldn't keep my focus during class; my mind was wondering what James was doing, and if he was alright. Luckily the teacher never called on me to answer any questions so my mind was free to wander. _I know you're troubled James, but that does not mean you should put yourself in danger… One man cannot possibly hope to defeat Tsukasa… _

…

_And what about Lady Subaru… Why would she enlist… Player Killers… to help us? I did not think enlisting players to help was a bad idea… But unlawful scum like that… And what about Silver Knight… It's obvious he does not agree with Lady Subaru's methods… But why now? He has been a knight for so long… And now all of the sudden he is doubting Lady Subaru…? If Silver Knight no longer believes in her, then what of me? I have always looked up to Silver Knight, as the epitome of what a knight should be… But he no longer has faith in Lady Subaru, than what of the rest of the knights; what about me? No! Even if Lady Subaru became malevolent tyrant, bent on the utter destruction of The World I would follow her! She has my eternal loyalty, no matter what…_

"Senpai."

"Senpai!"

"Wha- what!?" I shouted. "It's time for lunch Senpai… Were you day dreaming?" Asaoka asked. "I guess I was…" I sighed looking at the clock. "It's not like you to day dream Senpai" Asaoka said. "It is nothing you should concern yourself with" I said while standing up. "It's about Tsukasa isn't it?" Asaoka asked. "We are taking to the offensive… We are going to capture him" I said coldly. "That's good! But how will you do that?" Asaoka asked. "I'm not sure to be honest… It's not my place to formulate a strategy" I said. "Well at least the Crimson Knights are taking the offensive" Asaoka mused. "But Senpai… That means there is a chance you will face Tsukasa yourself…" Asaoka said sadly. _She's right… There is a chance I could end up like the others… And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared…But I can't back down, not with all the people Tsukasa has hurt._ "You are worried about what might happen… Falling unconscious is a possibility... but… I refuse to let that stop me! If all the knights backed down because they were afraid, then Tsukasa would be allowed to do as he pleases, and The World would fall apart! If I have a chance to stop him, then I will take it" I explained. "I'd be wasting my breath trying to stop you, so all I can tell you to do is be careful, and give him all you've got" Asaoka admitted with a shrug. "Ha, you need not worry about that" I said with a chuckle. "Senpai, my friends will be eating with me again, would you like to join us?" Asaoka asked. I scanned the classroom, noticing the students had once again left it dirty. "I thank you for the generous offer, but I have got a classroom to clean" I sighed. "Well we're eating here… So you can enjoy our company!" Asaoka said. "Then I suppose I will do just that" I said with a chuckle.

Asaoka's friends entered the classroom, and took their seats at a makeshift table they created with various desks. "Good to see you again Takeshi-sama" Shouko said with a wave. "Yeah!" Miho added. "It is an honor to see you as well Shouko-san, and Miho-san" I said with a bow. They started their conversation, I tried not to pay attention, but my mind just wasn't able to stay focused, so I ended up hearing all this gossip about other students that I really… Just did not care to hear… "Oh! Hey Takeshi-sama, what happened last night? It sure seemed urgent" Shouko asked. "It was… A false alarm, nothing happened" I lied. "Oh well that's good… Or is that bad…" Shouko said thinking to herself. "It is a good thing, for it means I did not have to deal with any unlawful players." I responded. "Oh yeah, I forgot you three went out adventuring last night, how'd it go?" Miho asked. "It was great!" Asaoka cheered. "I had fun" Shouko said. "It was a pleasurable experience" I nodded in agreement. "I take it you didn't run into Tsukasa?" Miho asked. "No… But we did run into… Oh… What was his name…?" Asaoka asked. "It was Crim" Shouko said. "Oh yeah! He was a friend of Kane" Asaoka said. "I wouldn't go as far as to call him my friend" I said coldly. "He was riding around on his Grunty, and he had almost all the monsters in the field chasing him" Asaoka explained. "But they ended up attacking us instead" Shouko sighed. "Eh!? How many monsters were there?" Miho asked. "Nine" I responded. "That many!? How did you defeat them all!?" Miho gasped. "Stance used his Grunty! He, and Crim fought them all off" Shouko explained. _Crim and I!? If I remember correctly Crim left me alone to fend for myself! _"It was a pretty fun adventure, that's for sure, although… Next time I need to check and make sure the dungeon is an icky flesh wall dungeon" Asaoka said with a shiver. "Hey what's wrong with flesh-wall dungeons!? It's cool being inside a giant monster! I just wish they'd allow you to battle the monster ya know?" Miho said with a sigh. "You mean to tell me you enjoy being inside those dungeons?" Shouko asked. "Yeah, it's awesome!" Miho asked. "Remind me never to go with you on an adventure!" Shouko said sarcastically. "I myself like stone-wall dungeons" I added. "But half the dungeons in the world are stone-wall dungeons" Asaoka said. "What's wrong with that? Flesh-wall dungeons make my skin crawl, and earth-wall dungeons seem to barbaric. I'd rather do battle in a castle" I explained. "I like earth-wall dungeons, I think their cave like structures makes them exotic; they are gorgeous" Shouko said. "But what about field types? I myself like the beach type fields… But they normally have a flesh wall dungeon" Asaoka said with a sigh. "Dark type fields for sure! They've got those creepy structures, and those giant web cocoons! And the Dungeon entrance is absolutely bone chilling!" Miho said gleefully. "You've really got an obsession with those kinds of things don't you?" Shouko asked. "And just what's wrong with that!?" Miho retaliated. "I like woodland fields, especially those set at sunset… They even lead into earth-wall dungeons" Shouko said. "What about you Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "Grassland type fields, I find their clear expanse to be calming" I said. "A little bland don't you think?" Miho asked. "This is coming from someone who actually likes to be eaten by a giant monster" I said with a playful smile. "Oh no! Kane is making jokes again!" Asaoka cried playfully. "I'm allowed one joke per day" I said with a chuckle.

I ended up falling behind on my cleaning duties due to our conversation, not that I was angry; Shouko, and Miho are very nice people, and I do not mind spending my lunch with them. I made sure to pay attention in my classes after lunch; I didn't want to fall behind in my studies because all I could think about was Tsukasa, and The World. Time went by pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was the end of the day.

I made my way down to my locker; as I had expected there was another letter there, I ignored it and shoved my school supplies inside. I closed my locker, expecting to see Asaoka hiding behind the door, to my surprise she was not there. "Senpai!" Asaoka shouted from behind me. Her loud cry made me jump forward into the metal lockers. "Do not sneak up on me like that!" I shouted as I turned around. "You should be more aware of your surroundings" Asaoka said. "And you should show more respect" I responded. "Oh calm down, you know I'm joking" Asaoka said grabbing my hand. "No wait, I can walk on my own!" I shouted as she pulled me out of the school building. "Asaoka-san! Slow down! You are going to make me trip!" I said trying to keep my balance. "Are you working today Kane?" Asaoka asked. "Yeah I am, but please stop!" I cried. "I'll walk you!" Asaoka said. "Walk me!? You are running me!" I shouted. "Yeah you're right, let's take our time" Asaoka said coming to a complete halt. "Sheesh, if you keep doing that people are going to start rumors" I said pushing Asaoka's hand away from my own. "I never thought of you as someone who would care what others think Senpai" Asaoka said. "Me? I don't, I'm just telling you for your own sake" I said. "Can't say I care what others say either, I don't let people's ideals dictate my actions" Asaoka said with a yawn. "An excellent attitude" I said. Asaoka and I walked towards the front gate, discussing various topics; I was surprised to find James waiting by the gate.

"Yo Kane" James said with a wave. "James? How are you feeling?" I asked. "Better… Still a little shook up… But defiantly better" James said with a smile. "He physically hurt you… The power to do that over the web… The virus obviously affects your brain, since it knocks you out… But it is possible it targets the whole body as well…" I said. "Pretty scary to think about…" Asaoka admitted. "Dash, why did… Why did he leave you alive?" I asked, trying my hardest not to sound mean. "Beats me, I wasn't really focusing on Tsukasa himself. I was late to the meeting so I guess they decided to go on with out me… Time I arrived they were all in bad shape. I tried helping them out, but that blasted monster of his… And then it turned on me. Before I knew it, he was gone" James explained. "About your friends… Are they alright?" I asked. "Yeah, they are doing fine, just a little out of it ya know?" James said. "That is good to hear. Give them my condolences" I said. "Yeah, I'll do that" James said. "And… Please… Ask them to stay out of the affairs of the Crimson Knights" I said seriously. "That's going to be difficult… I'm sure they will be pretty angry, and want to get back at him, and I can't say I blame them" James said. "And what about you?" I asked. "You know the answer to that, I'm looking for him, gotta make sure he doesn't do that to any more players" James said confidently. "James… You know how I feel about that… I want you to stay out of it…" I said coldly. "Sorry Kane, but I don't think I can do that; not know" James said with a frown. _He's only putting himself at risk by doing that! Damnit James…_ "And just what will you do when you find him Dash? Kill him? You've only caused him to reappear at a chaos gate, and he'll slip away again! You are not properly equipped to handle the situation, you will only impede our progress" I said harshly. _By becoming another victim…_ "Look Kane, I may not be as well prepared as the Crimson Knights but I love The World just as much as any of you and you know that for a fact. And that's why there's no way you can persuade me from going after this guy who plays unfairly. This guy who puts other player's in danger, and for all we know puts The World itself at risk. I mean, sheesh, I understand you're worried about me, but unless you Crimson Knights have some special item that makes you immune to that creature of his, then we're both on equal-footing here, aren't we? Besides, I've already seen what he can do first-hand. Wouldn't that make me a little qualified to do this?" James said, letting out a deep breath and drawing in another before continuing. "Geez, see how much this has me worked up, Kane?" James explained. "And just how do you expect to capture him?" I asked coldly. "I… I don't know… But that isn't going to stop me from standing between him and another player, Kane. I'll do whatever I can" James retorted. "You are not only putting yourself at risk, but you are endangering the players that will accompany you" I said. "James… The knights really are better equipped…" Asaoka said. "We're not incapable of protecting our world, Kane. Asaoka I can't believe that" James said as he pushed himself off the gate, and started walking away. Suddenly my phone started to beep. "A text message?" I said reaching into my pocket for my phone.

**Stance I've got a plan, will you assist me?**

"James! Wait!" I yelled trying to get his attention. "Huh? Yeah what is it Kane?" James said turning to face me. "I need you to cover my workload today" I said. "Cover your workload? Sure- Hey, wait a minute… Why would you be skipping out on work today, Kane?" James asked taking a few steps towards us. "I have urgent business to take care of" I said. "Well… Alright then, I'll help you out then, Kane. Just don't go getting yourself hurt" James said with a dismissive wave. "Should I happen to get hurt, I want you two to inform no one…" I sighed turning away from James, and Asaoka. "Senpai…?" Asaoka said. "Kane… Alright… You be careful" James said seriously. I nodded and began running towards home egger to learn about Silver Knight's plan.

I arrived home to find a note on the door informing me that my parents were out again on another business trip. "Perfect timing" I muttered as I entered my apartment. I ran upstairs and changed as fast as I could, I jumped over onto my terminal and booted it up. I had one new email, but I didn't bother to read it; instead I logged into The World as fast as I could. Surprisingly Silver Knight was waiting right next to the chaos gate in Dun Loireag. "Sir! I received your message, I came as quickly as I could" I said with a salute. "Stance, I'm happy you could make it… Because today is the day" Silver Knight said confidently. "Yes sir… But may I ask, what is this plan of yours?" I asked.

"Plan of MINE!"

A green haired man suddenly leapt from behind a pillar, and landed beside me. "Such an honor to meet you sir knight" The green haired man said sarcastically. "Sir? Just who is this!?" I asked. "That is… Sora" Silver Knight said with a grunt. "The player killer?" I asked. "Bingo!" Sora said. "Sir… Why is he…?" I asked but was interrupted "I'll explain later Stance, right now we've got to get going, follow me to **Θ Cruel Betrayed Paradise**" Silver Knight said gesturing towards the gate. "Yes sir…" I nodded.

The area was covered in snow and ice. It reminded me of the field last night were I had found James. "Come Stance, this way" Silver Knight commanded. "Yes sir" I said with a nod. "Stance, you must understand the importance of capturing this player, correct?" Silver Knight asked as walked. "Yes sir I do" I said in response. "Hmm… Very well… Tsukasa will be coming to this field soon" Silver Knight said. "How do you know this?" I asked. "Because I told him so!" Sora said gleefully. "I don't understand…" I sighed deeply. "Because I know how he works! Once he finds out he isn't special, he'll come to investigate!" Sora explained. "Finds out he isn't special? Just what does that mean?" I asked. "Stance, we've informed a select few players that may be able to contact Tsukasa: That there is another person… Like Tsukasa" Silver Knight explained. "Another!? So there are two now!?" I shouted. "No! That's the beauty of it! He'll fall right into our trap!" Sora said. "Silver Knight… I do not understand…" I admitted. "Stance… We are going to lure Tsukasa here by making him think he is not the only one with a special monster… He'll no-doubt come to investigate, and when he does; we will bind his character" Silver Knight explained confidently.

_It sounds… Like a solid plan… But why is Silver Knight cooperating with this player killer? Last night he couldn't say his name without grunting… And what does Lady Subaru think of all this? Would she approve of what Silver Knight and Sora are doing? Can we really beat him…? _

"Sir…How do you plan to get past Tsukasa's monster?" I asked. "We're going to surround him, if he does not surrender himself… Well then I'll just have to force him into submission" Silver Knight said with a chuckle. "Come Stance, up here" Silver Knight said gesturing towards a small tower. I followed Sora and Silver Knight to the top of the tower, Salu, Silver Knights 2nd lieutenant was already waiting at the top, and greeted us with a salute. "You see? An area like this… He'll have no where to run" Silver Knight said as he gestured towards the field below. "We've got knights positioned all over the place, the second he shows his face; we will attack" Silver Knight said confidently. "And what of me?" I asked. "You and Salu will fight alongside me" Silver Knight explained. "Very well sir, I take it Subaru will not be on scene" I said. "Lady Subaru does not yet know of my plan" Silver Knight said. _What!? He's doing all of this without her permission!?_ "Silver Knight! You cannot do something like this with consulting Lady Subaru first!" I shouted. "Oh come now sir knight, where is your sense o-"Sora started to say "You stay out of this player killer!" I shouted at Sora, interrupting him. "We've got to be more assertive if we hope to maintain peace in this world" Silver Knight said, his anger obvious in his tone. "But that doesn't mean we should deviate from standard procedure!" I shouted. "Stance… Very well! Go and retrieve Lady Subaru, bring her here so that she may witness what is about to happen!" Silver Knight ordered. "Silver Knight…" I muttered as I walked away, not bothering to give him a proper response. Salu followed me down the tower, knowing that standard procedure requires two knights to escort Lady Subaru. "Stance… What were you thinking?" Salu asked. "What was I thinking? What is Silver Knight thinking!? Acting on his own like that! Deliberately disobeying an order… Come, let us alert Lady Subaru to his actions" I said as I gated out of the area. We appeared back to Dun Loireag, and then warped to Mac Anu. "Come Salu" I said beckoning towards the bridge.

"M'lady… I've something urgent that requires your attention…" I stated, as her boat approached a dock near Mac Anu. "Stance…? Very well" Subaru said as she gestured towards her boat. "M'lady… It concerns Silver Knight" I explained as I stepped onto the boat. "What about him?" Subaru asked. "The captain… Has taken it upon himself… To…" I explained. "To what?" Subaru asked. "To capture Tsukasa… He's gathered a large portion of the Knights, and has positioned them at: **Θ Cruel Betrayed Paradise**," I explained. "He's… Why didn't he inform me of this?" Subaru asked with an annoyed tone. "Forgive me M'lady, but I do not know" I said. "Take me there" Subaru commanded. "Yes… The Captain has asked us to take you there" I said "Wha… Silver Knight did?" Subaru asked. "Yes M'lady" I responded

Subaru's boat returned to a nearby dock, and we made our way towards the chaos gate; we warped to Dun Loireag, and then moved onto **Θ Cruel Betrayed Paradise.**

"M'lady, this way" I said gesturing towards the area were Silver Knight had set his trap. "Alright" Subaru said. Salu and I took our positions on Subaru's left and right flank, prepared to protect her should she come under attack. As we approached I could hear the sound of Silver Knight speaking. "By the authority of the Crimson Knights, supporters of system administration… We will bind your character. You can cooperate and follow our orders, but if you don't…" Silver Knight said from atop the tower. "You never get enough do you?" Tsukasa said interrupting him. "What's this!?" Silver Knight shouted. "You want the Guardian to kill you again?" Tsukasa asked. _He's really here…That must be his monster… There is no stopping it now… M'lady…? _I turned my attention to Lady Subaru, who stood there, her eyes wide from shock. "If that is your position" Sliver Knight said. "Prepare for battle!" Silver Knight shouted. Countless Knights approached Tsukasa, weapons at the ready. Tsukasa tapped his staff on the ground, his guardian let out a thunders battle cry. The Knights started charging towards Tsukasa. But Tsukasa guardian stopped them by attacking them with numerous tentacles. The knights had no way to counter the attack, and where easily taken down by the monsters attacks. One by one the knights fell to the monsters attack, not one of them able to hold their own. _This isn't a battle… We can't beat that thing! No one can!_ "I'm not afraid… Is this your only barrier? You know if you fail to catch me soon, I'll leave." Tsukasa said with an annoyed tone. "Go around! Surround him!" Silver Knight shouted as he leapt from his position, only to be knocked to the ground by Tsukasa's guardian. _Silver Knight!? No… How can anyone hope to…?_ "That's enough! Call back the knights!" an unknown player shouted from the distance. "I will not take back an order once issued!" Silver Knight retorted. "But that's just plain stupid!" another unknown player shouted. _No… The knights…, how is he able to do this!? Even with our numbers we…_ "Someone… I need just one person…" Silver Knight said angrily. "What is this!?" Subaru finally spoke up. I maintained my position, but kept a sharp eye on Tsukasa. _Tsukasa knows she is here now… M'lady… Be careful…_ "I do not recall authorizing an attack of this nature!" Subaru shouted. Subaru began walking towards the battlefield. My attention was drawn to Tsukasa's creature. _His monster… It's going to attack!_ I reached behind me, and unsheathed my sword, and sprang forward.

"M'lady!" I cried shoving her out of the way.

I tried to parry the monster's attack, but my efforts were completely futile. The monster pieced by body with one of its tentacles, and I lost complete control of my body. I cried out in terror as my body was wracked with pain, it felt as though my mind was being separated from my body. I stood up from my terminal, trying to rip my HMD off my head, but my body would not cooperate, all I could feel was the pain of Tsukasa's attack. I cried out in terror as I felt myself losing conscious.

_M'lady…_

**SYSTEM ERROR**


	7. Chapter 7

The stories first prospective change! This chapter is pretty long, infact I think it may be the longest in the story. I like this chapter as it showcases just how different Stance, and Dash truly are. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I did typing it. As always please alert me to any mistakes you see!

**.Hack//****Vision**

Chapter 7: Encounter

Important events in the .hack Timeline: Tsukasa is released

Perspective: Dash

…

*Beep Beep Beep*

"…Muggh… "

"Beep Beep Beep*

"…Quiet…"

*Beep Beep Beep*

"Fine! I'm up!" I sighed while I scratched my hair. "I can't believe Kane bought me such an annoying alarm clock" I said beating the alarm clock a few times to shut it off. "Wait…" I sighed looking at the alarm clock. "Six thirty!? Oh man, not again!" I shouted jumping to my feet. "No time for a shower! Gotta get dressed!" I shouted again; running over to my closet. "Gotta hurry!" I cried grabbing my school uniform. "Faster, whoa Ahhhh!" I cried as I tripped trying to put on my pants. "Gah! Faster, Faster!" I repeated to myself as I threw the rest of my uniform on. "Gotta go… Gotta go…" I repeated as I ran down his house's stairs. "No time for breakfast! Gotta go! Love you mom, bye!" I shouted as I ran through the kitchen.

"Now which way was it… Oh! The bus!" I said catching sight of a bus coming towards me. "Hey! Over here!" I shouted signaling at the bus. The bus didn't stop, and drove right past me. "Hey! Wait!" I shouted at the bus as it kept going. "Unbelievable!" I shouted again in anger. "World War II Ended along time ago buddy!" I yelled at the now distant bus. "Sheesh… Guess I gotta hoof it" I said, as I began walking in the same direction the bus went. _Of course… It would have been too easy! Measly old war veterans… Hey that's…_ I started to jog once I noticed the bus stopped at a pedestrian crossing. I ran up to the bus, approaching the driver's side. I waved, and got the attention of the bus driver. "Hey buddy! Gimmie a lift?" I said sarcastically in English. The driver shot me a disgusted look, and turned his attention back to the road, and waited for the pedestrians to cross. The moment the pedestrians crossed, the bus shot forward. "Oh come on!" I shouted. I started to jog, but then began to sprint as the bus picked up speed. Just as the bus was about to pull away, it was forced to stop at another pedestrian crossing. Again; I approached the driver side, and began to mock the driver. "A lot of good that bus is doing ya!" I said with a smirk. The driver got angry, and began to curse me; luckily the glass window blocked out his vulgar words. "Oooooh yeah, real scary!" I said laughing at his expression. As before, the bus sped off once all the pedestrians crossed. _What a jerk._ I ran after the bus, and once again, it had to stop at another pedestrian crossing. I got low to the ground, and snuck up the driver side window, I could hear the bus driver looking over at the window, trying to see if I followed. "Hey knucklehead!" I shouted jumping up into view. The driver was surprised, and fell back down into his seat. "Should have just picked me up!" I shouted. The driver angrily turned his attention back to the road, and pressed on. _I can't play tag with this bus all day; I'm seriously going to be late… Alright, kicking it into high gear_. I started to sprint as fast as I could.

It was a long distance away, but I finally made it to school. I ran upstairs, nearly tripping as I did. "Please don't let me be…" I sighed as I neared the classroom. I threw the door open "Did I make it!" I shouted as I glared towards the clock. No one responded… "Kane…?" I said as I peered around the room. All the students seemed to be as shocked as I was, especially Asaoka; who was giving me a worried expression. I ran my hand through my hair, and began walking towards my seat. As I walked past various students, they greeted me; I of course politely greeted them as well. I sat down at my seat near the window. _Kane missing school? Something isn't right… Maybe he's sick…_ I stared into the distance, lost in thought about why Kane wasn't at school.

"Hey James"

My train of thought was broken, and I turned around to face the girl behind me. "You cut it pretty close today" She said with a wink. "Well I got here in the end, so that's all that matters right? Better late than never, I always say" I said with a smirk. "Do you know where the class rep is?" She asked. I paused for a moment, again trying to consider what may have happened to Kane. "I mean… You are his friend right?" She asked. "Huh? Oh yeah, but I really have no idea where he is…" I said with a sigh. "The suck up is probably skipping school, he's got enough of the teachers tied around his finger to do that" The student across from me said harshly. "Hey, look...Kane's not a suck-up, okay? If he's not here then he might really be sick, or worse. So you shouldn't go talking bad about him like that, unless you're not aware of karma that is." I said coolly as I turned my attention back to the window.

"How typical… You all talk about Takeshi behind his back… None of you have the guts to say anything to his face; you're all cowards"

I turned my attention towards the student who was mocking the others. _She is… I think her name is Aoi… Aoi… Aoi Tsukio, yeah, that's her name._ She adjusted her glasses, and didn't look up from the book she was reading. "You're all pathetic" Aoi said in her typical monotone voice. "What did you say?" One of the boys cried out angrily. "I said you are pathetic, unlike you; I do not hide in the shadows and insult others." Aoi said as she continued reading her book. "What will you do? Fight me? That won't change my opinion; you'd just be fighting a girl, if anything it would only prove it." Aoi added. "Coward" Aoi sighed as she flipped a page in her book "Hey now, let's all calm down, we're all friends here" I said softly. _She certainly is frightening…_ Aoi glanced over at me, and turned her attention back towards her book. "Whatever! Waste of my time anyway" The angry male student grunted as he took his seat. I turned my gaze back outside

_Last night… That's right… Kane skipped work because he had duties with the knights… _ As I continued to think, the door slowly slid open, everyone in the class turned, obviously expecting to see Kane, but were met with the cold gaze of the vice principle. The vice principle beckoned Asaoka outside of the classroom, shutting the door behind her. "Wonder what that's all about…" I muttered as I turned by gaze back to the scenery outside the window. _Could Kane have…? No! Not Kane… No way…_ I repeated to myself over and over, but the fear remained, it was like a chill creeping up my spine and gnawing at my brain. _Man… Maybe I should go by his house on my way home…_Asaoka entered the classroom, her head slumped down to the ground; I couldn't help but take notice. She slowly made her way over to me, "James… Can I speak with you outside for a moment?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Yeah, sure" I said worriedly as I followed her outside.

"What's up?" I asked. "Senpai… He…" she stuttered. "Kane…" I said, as I tried to block out all the negative thoughts entering my mind. "Kane is… He's been hospitalized" she said as tears rolled down her cheek. _What!? That means! No!_ "No… It's something different, it can't be!" I said trying to deny the truth. "His neighbors found him unconscious…" she added. "I… Darn!" I shouted as I slammed my fist into a wall. Asaoka and I stood there for what seemed like ages, eventually I made a decision. "I'm going to see him" I said coldly. "Cutting class…?" she asked. "That's right" I said. "Senpai won't like it… But count me in" she said as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "You sure?" I asked. "Positive" she said confidently." Alright… Let's get out of here" I said.

Asaoka and I left school, and began walking towards the hospital that Kane was being held at. Good thing she came along too, I don't think I know where this hospital even is… I sighed to myself. "Hey James…" she said. "Hm? Yeah?" I said turning to her. "Why… I mean… Don't take this the wrong way… But why are you Senpai's friend?" she asked. "Good question… I've never really given it any thought, I mean...Kane and I have only been friends for a few years now. I think… Hm…Well... He's definitely an interesting guy; I've never met anyone like him before in fact. He's one of a kind, yeah." I said as I pondered about what to say. "He's always so serious, but I think that's what makes Kane, well Kane" I added. "When I first came to Japan, I had a lot of friends to start with, but I remember the day I met Kane almost like it was yesterday. I hope that doesn't sound too weird, heh." I said, nervously trying to press on with my story. "He wasn't really sociable, so I thought he was depressed or something" I said with a chuckle. "A lot of people talked about him behind his back, so then I thought he might be a bully instead" I continued. "Eventually though I just started talking to him, and at first he was pretty cold towards me. Like he'd only respond if I asked him directly to; stuff like that. I thought he didn't like me to be honest" I added. "But I remember… I got this test back, and I had failed it" I explained. "But I examined all the questions and some of them were miss-graded. I was so sure about my answers that I stood up during class, and called the teacher out on his grade" I explained. "The teacher quickly dismissed me, and basically told me that I had to accept his grade whether I liked it or not, since he was after all, the teacher" I said mockingly. "I was pretty angry, and I'm sure I would have done something I would be regretting right now, but then Kane stood up from his desk" I said, reminiscing "I still remember what he said: "You are misusing your authority, if this student has a problem you should at least hear him out!" I said in a forced deep voice, trying to imitate Kane's. "Then the teacher tried to shut Kane up as well. Kane ended up taking me to the principles office, and the whole thing got out of control, eventually my grade was corrected, and the teacher ended up transferring to another school" I said with a chuckle. "Come to think of it, that was a whole lot of trouble Kane went through for me, and he barely knew me then." I added. I tried to thank him for what he did, but he just looked at me and said, "You need not thank me, it is my duty". I smirked, coming to a realization, "I don't really remember when we actually became friends, and I don't think Kane does either, we just sort of started hanging out from that point on." I said with a shrug.

"I see" she said. "What about you?" I asked. "I haven't known Kane as long as you… I've seen him around school, but at the beginning of the year…" she said. "The elections right?" I asked. "Yes… He was my opponent" she said with a nod. "Yeah, I remember" I sighed with a sarcastic grin. "He was so respectful, and he made sure the elections were completely fair. He also worked so hard to make the playing ground even, and keep mud slinging to a minimum. Infact, in most of our debates we would just end up agreeing with each other" she giggled. "I ended up voting for him" she sighed. "Haha, so you used your vote on him, huh?" I asked with an even wider grin. "I thought he'd do a better job, and I decided that I'd resign the position to him if I won" she explained. "But he won" I said. "Yeah… I think no matter how bad people think of Kane, they know he's a fair man, they made the right decision" she explained. "Yeah, no doubt there" I said in agreement. "After that he made me his assistant, at first I thought it was because he felt sorry for me…" she admitted. "Ha! Kane!? No way" I said with a wave of my hand; laughing. "He worked me hard… Maybe too hard, I was kind of annoyed with him, and then my friends decided to take matters into their own hands" she sighed. "Matters into their own hands?" I asked curiously. "One of my friends ended up fighting with Kane… Although I'm sure the others were in on it…" she sighed deeply. "A fight? Sheesh... What'd Kane do?" I asked seriously. "Nothing… Apparently he just stood there and took it, without saying a thing" she explained. "Sadly, I don't think I could have done the same…" I admitted. "He was probably worried about breaking the rules" I added with a smirk. "Yeah… Since that day, I suppose we've become friends… at least I hope Senpai thinks of me as a friend…" She said sadly. I grinned and nudged Asaoka, who was now walking beside me, with my shoulder, "Are you sure that's all you want Kane to think of you as?" I asked. "Wha-!? I…" She gasped as she looked away, hiding her blushing cheeks. "Heh, you don't have to be ashamed, Kane isn't that bad-looking of a guy, is he?" I said sarcastically, teasing her with another light nudge. "I… I'm not ashamed…" She sighed. "Heh, whatever you say, Asaoka. It's not like I would say anything anyways." I said with a shrug, dismissing the whole thing just like that. _She is a cute girl; I can see why Kane likes her...if he does_. "Please don't say anything…" She sighed as we neared the hospital. "Heh, so you do have feelings for him?" I said with growing interest, but just then I realized why we had stopped. Asaoka was staring up at the large hospital and all of its generic windows. _Kane's behind one of those window's right now, teasing Asaoka will have to wait._ I nodded to Asaoka and motioned her forward. "Come on, no use in stopping here" I said as I dragged Asaoka into the hospital. I approached the receptionist, and got her attention. "Hey, excuse me miss...I'm here to see, Kane, Kane Takeshi." I said politely. "Takeshi…? His parents are out of town… Are you his friends?" The receptionist asked. "Uh...well, I'm his cousin, and this is his girlfriend." I lied. "His cousin?" she asked. "Yeah, from America" I said with a smile, trying to convince her. "I see… I wasn't aware he had any kin from the United States… Well… Come on back, I'll take you to him" She said. "It will do Kane good to have visitors, even if it is just family… Honestly, he's worked a lot around here, and I've never seen him with any friends…" The receptionist said. "Wait...So he's awake?" I said; the pressure on my chest lifting. "Oh boy did he ever, that idiot woke up, and started kicking and screaming, he tore the incubation tube straight out of his throat, and then bled all over the bed, it took three nurses to hold him down while I sedated him" A nurse said as she stepped out of a room in front of us. "Huh, who are you?" I asked as I examined the nurse, her uniform looked out of order, and she didn't wear a standard cap that was required of all nurses, her brown hair flowed down to her shoulders. "Natsuko Yasu, just call me Natsuko, no fancy titles or honorifics, I'm the nurse in charge of Kane" She explained as she removed the rubber gloves around her hands. "Is Kane alright, can you take us to him? I'm James, and this is Asaoka" I said as I pointed to Asaoka. "Skipping school to come see him huh? He's still pretty weak from the anesthesia, but I'll take you to him, come on" she said as she started walking down the hallway. Asaoka and I followed her down the hallway. "As I said before, that moron woke up, and started screaming, he tore the incubation tube out of his throat, which cut up his esophagus, then he tried to stand up, we had no choice but to sedate him." Natsuko explained. "Wow… That doesn't sound like Kane at all, huh Asaoka?" I asked as I turned to Asaoka. "No… Not at all" she gasped. _Comatose...so that means..._ Taking in a deep breath I regained my posture "Thanks for taking care of Kane, Natsuko. You have no idea how worried Asaoka here was about him...and uh...well, me too I guess, heh." I said, feeling a little timid myself, oddly enough, but this whole situation was odd to begin with anyways. I thought for sure that something terrible had happened, but it seems Kane is going to be fine...still, maybe we did jump the gun a little. I guess all that really matters is that Kane is in good health, or will be once he's well-rested. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome, so on, and so fourth" Natsuko said as she read the numbers listed above the rooms.

"Ah, here we are" Natsuko said as she opened the door. Asaoka, and I peeked inside the room, there was a bed facing the window, Kane's legs were clearly visible under the blanket, beside him was a small girl, talking to him. "Wait, who's that with Kane?" I asked curiously. The girl looked up at Asaoka and I and spoke "Oniichan! You got visitors!" the small child said as she pointed towards the door. "Oniichan…" Asaoka said to herself. _Oniichan, did she just call Kane Oniichan? But that would mean she's his...no way, Kane never told me he had a sister...Wait, why does that surprise me?_ Kane tried to move his body to see who was standing at the door, but the position of the bed wouldn't allow him to. Natsuko burst into the room, and slapped Kane across the head "Stop moving you idiot!" She shouted. Kane collapsed back into the bed with a loud grunt. I stepped forward "Kane, how are you? And look who's here with me!" I said, trying to sound more excited than stressed. Kane turned his head over and glared at Asaoka, and I, a tube was inserted into his mouth, and he seemed to struggle with each breath. He quickly gazed at the small girl standing next to him, and then returned his gaze to me. Suddenly I felt like coming here was a bad idea. "Kane, is everything alright?" I said with concern, taking care to let him know I noticed his other visitor...his...sister. Kane closed his eyes, and nodded slowly, when he re-opened his eyes; he had a guilty expression on his face. "Ja… James…" Kane gasped between forced breathes. "Asaoka's here too, Kane...she was worried about you, you know...since you didn't come in to school this morning." I said as I pushed Asaoka forward. "Sc-… School…You…" Kane gasped as he pointed at Asaoka. "Oh, that...Yeah, heh...we skipped class to come see you, but hey...you not showing before me was weird enough, but not showing up at all...I don't think Asaoka or me could have taken that." I explained. Kane lowered his hand, and looked up at the ceiling "Th-… Thank you…." He gasped. "Probably shouldn't talk much, Kane. Natsuko said you caused quite a mess for her and the other nurses, heh...We...I...just wanted to make sure you weren't in any serious condition. But don't let me do all the talking, Asaoka is here to see you too, you know? Right Asaoka?" I smirked, nudging Asaoka forward a few steps. Asaoka reluctantly approached Kane. "Are you feeling alright Kane?" She asked shyly. "He's got a tube down his throat, and is being forced to breathe by a machine, I'd hate to meet the man that feels good after that" Natsuko said as she leaned on a desk, and took a bite from a sandwich. "Oh… Uhh… I'm sorry for skipping out on my duties Kane… I'll be sure to work extra hard tomorrow." Asaoka said with a bow. Kane looked up at her, and nodded firmly. "I… Tr-… Trust you…:" He gasped. "Are these your friends Oniichan?" Kane's sister asked as she lightly slapped Kane's stomach. She was small, and wore a small yellow dress, that matched her blonde hair perfectly. She had her hair tied into two neat little pony tails. "Yo- Yoko…" Kane gasped as he pointed at the small girl. "Ja-James…" He gasped as he moved his finger over to me. "Asao-… ka…" He gasped as he pointed to Asaoka. "Oh, hey there...I'm James, yeah. I'm Kane's best friend, heh...and he can't even deny it right now." I said with a sarcastic wink. "This is Asaoka, she's a...uh, she's a friend of your brother's too." I said reassuringly as I nodded to Kane. "La-Later…" Kane gasped. A loud beeping sound filled the room, and Natsuko let out a heavy sigh. "Another idiot needs my attention, if he starts to pass out, just smack him around a bit, and go find a nurse" Natsuko sighed as she left the room. "Friends!? Oniichan never talks about his friends! Do you also play The World?" She asked enthusiastically, completely ignoring Natsuko. I nodded again, understanding that Kane probably meant he would explain later, when he could actually speak before responding to Kane's younger sister. "Heh, yeah...I play The World alright, I'm the amazing Dash!" I boasted sarcastically, puffing my chest out in obvious imitation. "I play as well, although I don't give myself fancy titles…" Asaoka said softly with a bow. "Wow! Are you all knights like Oniichan?!" she asked excitingly. "Heh, no, no...We're just ordinary players, and I'm sure neither of us wouldn't have it any other way." I laughed. Asaoka fidgeted at my comment, but didn't say anything. "Ordinary…? So that means Oniichan protects you! Right!?" Yoko asked excitedly. "Heh, yeah...well, something like that, kiddo." I smirked, thinking to myself. _Protects me, huh?._ "I'm going to be a knight just like Oniichan! I'm gonna help him protect people!" Yoko said as she climbed on top of Kane's bed. "We are Takeshi's we are always righteous, and honorable! We always do what is expected of us, and we work hard to preserve peace, and maintain order!" The small child said as she raised her fist high into the air. "Th-…That's…Right…" Kane gasped as he slowly raised his fist. "Whoa, be careful kiddo, wouldn't want to step on your brother there, would you?" I said while trying to hide my amusement, using my free hand to motion her down. "Yes… I'm sure you'll be an excellent knight… Just don't step on Senpai…" Asaoka said. Yoko stood there, with her fist held high, until Kane tapped her foot "Water…" He managed to sigh. "Wha!? Water? Yes sir! Right away!" Yoko said as she jumped off the bed, and marched out the door. I watched as the child shut the door behind her. "Heh, she's a spitting image of her big brother, wouldn't you say, Asaoka?" I grinned. "Yes, the resemblance is uncanny" Asaoka said in agreement. I turned my attention back to Kane, "But seriously, Kane...I'm glad you're alright...are you going to tell us what happened?" Kane tried to laugh as he pointed to a large bag, full of water; it held a small tube that led down to his arm, his laugh only caused him pain, as he began to cough. "Don't strain yourself Senpai!" Asaoka shouted as she ran over to Kane. "Heh, oh I see. So that was your plan all along." I said as Kane slowly caught his breathe. Kane motioned to Asaoka that he was ok, and began to speak. "Su-… Subaru…" He sighed. "What about her?" I asked. "Attacked… By… Ts-… Tsukasa…" He sighed. "She was attacked, Lady Subaru was attacked! Well, is she alright, Kane?" I said, putting my hand over my mouth after realizing how loud I had gotten all of a sudden. Asaoka looked just as surprised as I did. "I… I… I took…The attack…" Kane gasped. "You took Tsukasa's attack for Lady Subaru?" I gasped. "Well, that would explain your condition at least." Sighing, I looked to Asaoka for her to say something. Asaoka closed her eyes, and sighed "Kane… I… I mean… Is Subaru alright?" she asked. "Do… not know… Other knights… Tsukasa surrounded…" Kane gasped. "The other knights surrounded Tsukasa? So that means they probably got him then, right? I mean...he couldn't have taken out all of the knights by himself...right?" I asked. "His…Monster…Too strong… I felt it…" Kane gasped. "You felt it, like what...like in real-life?" I asked. Kane nodded dejectedly, "Impaled me… Still sore…" He explained. "I understand, look...this-this can wait if it's too much for you, Kane. Asaoka and I understand, I mean...you've been through more than we can imagine I'm sure..." I explained. Kane reached his hand out, and grabbed the seam of my jacket "No one… Te-… Tell… No one…" He coughed the words up. "Oh, of course...who would I tell? I mean, I promise I won't tell anyone, Kane..." I said, trying to hide what I was actually thinking. _I mean, of course I wasn't going to tell anyone, but Kane never said I couldn't get someone else to tell me._ Kane glared at Asaoka, and attempted to reach out to her, "Don't worry! I won't tell a soul Senpai" She said frantically. Kane turned his attention back to me, and pulled himself up using my body as support "Do… Not… Hunt… Him…" He gasped the words out with a grunt. "Kane, you should lie down, you're going to need rest to get passed this." I said trying to brush him off me. "Prom…Promise me" He grunted as he tightened his grip. "I promise, Kane. Now get some rest." I said seriously. Kane glared at Asaoka "I promise as well Senpai!" She said with a deep bow. Kane started to relax his grip, and slip back down to the bed. "Subaru…" he sighed. "I'll let her know you're alright, Kane...and I'll make sure she's alright as well. You have my word." I said seriously. Kane relaxed his body, and gave a firm nod in my direction. "Senpai…" Asaoka said as she approached. Kane gave her a puzzled look, but before she could speak Natsuko returned to the room. "Alright Kane, Time for a check up, I know you don't like me taking blood, so I'll be nice, and do as you said: I'll take your temperature" Natsuko said as she made her way over to Kane. Kane slowly pointed at the tube in his mouth, and seemed relieved that he may have it removed. "Guess again" Natsuko said. Kane's eyes widened with fear, as he turned towards us, and started to panic. "Heh, well...looks like that's our cue, we'll come back and see you tomorrow after school if you're still here, Kane. Good luck." I said while chuckling to myself. I grabbed Asaoka's hand and pulled her out the door with me. As I closed the door, I could hear Kane struggling as Natsuko attempted to turn him over on his side. "Don't make me get the defibrillator again!" The nurse shouted. I shut the door firmly behind me, and began walking down the hallway.

"What a morning…" Asaoka sighed as we left the hospital. "Definitely don't want to go through this again" I said with a nod. "But at least Kane is alright" she said with relief. "He's stubborn that's for sure, he wouldn't let someone like Tsukasa do him in" I smirked, chuckling. "Yeah… But what about his sister?" she asked seriously. "She seems like a handful, I wonder if Kane acted that way when he was a kid." I grinned. "That's not what I meant… Is she really his sister?" Asaoka asked. "That's what Kane said anyways. I doubt he'd lie about something like that" I said with a nod. "Its not surprising I don't know her… But what about you? You sure you've never seen her before?" Asaoka asked. I tilted my head as I tried to recall all the times I'd been to Kane's home. "No, I've been over to his house a lot, but I've never seen her, come to think of it, his parents are rarely there as well." I explained. "Then how can we be sure that she's actually his sister?" Asaoka asked. "Kane said she was" I said. "And you're happy with just that?" Asaoka asked. "That's really all I need; like I said, it's not like he would lie about something like that. Come to think of it, I never asked him if he had any siblings anyways. I guess I just assumed he was an only child, heh." I said with a shrug. "But…" Asaoka started. "You'll understand soon enough; Kane has his reasons and now that we know, he'll explain it to us...eventually." I explained as I placed my hand on Asaoka's shoulder; reassuring her. "You don't think he's mad at us do you?" Asaoka asked. "Mad at us? Heh, maybe mad at you." I smirked but Asaoka's look wasn't telling me she was amused. "I'm only kidding of course, Asaoka. I mean, I'm sure he's pretty peeved about us skipping out on school, but deep down I'm sure he appreciates our visit. It was definitely the right thing to do under the given circumstances." I explained. "How can you tell…?" Asaoka asked. "Call it a hunch" I said with a loud yawn.

"You going back to school?" Asaoka asked. "Naw, infact I'm gonna call in sick to work, they won't be busy today, so I'm sure it will be ok. Besides, I've gotta go make sure Subaru is alright, Kane did after all sacrifice himself to protect her. It would be terrible if she wasn't alright either. In fact, I'm sure she's just as worried about Kane as we are." I explained. "I see…" Asaoka muttered shyly. "Don't really know where to start looking though… I guess Mac Anu, she's normally on her boat or whatever" I said, thinking out loud as I ran through my plan of action. "Would you like some help?" Asaoka interrupted. "Help? Oh you mean inside The World? Yeah sure, that'd be great" I said with a grin. "Shall we meet in Mac Anu? How about the bridge in the central plaza?" Asaoka asked. "Alright, it's settled then. We'll meet at the bridge in Mac Anu in one hour. Don't be late!" I said as we neared a fork in the road. "Aren't you the one that's always late?" Asaoka asked. "Heh, no time for details. See you in an hour!" I said with a smirk, heading off in the direction that my apartment complex was located at.

I slowly opened the door to my house; thankfully the house was empty because my parents had to work, so I didn't have to explain to them why I had skipped school. "I doubt they'd understand even if I told them" I said with a chuckle. "Should make sure I call work, they'd be pretty mad if I didn't give them an excuse" I said picking up the phone. I waited while the phone rang, hoping that I'd get the answering machine. No one answered, and I was forced to leave a message. "Hey it's me James, look I'm feeling pretty down at the moment" I said with a forced cough. "I think Kane caught whatever I've got, but don't worry, I'm sure we'll be better soon, and I'll work extra hard when I get back!" I said, trying to make myself sound sick. "I should probably meet up with Asa-" I started but was interrupted by the sound of my stomach growling. "Well I'll eat first" I said as I turned towards the kitchen. I searched around the kitchen, and gathered enough food for a small meal. "It may not be glamorous, but whatever, it's pretty good" I said as I tossed a frozen meal into the microwave. I ate my meal quickly, and made my way upstairs to log on to my terminal. "So many emails…" I sighed as I looked at my inbox. "Guess it'd be rude to keep putting them off…" I sighed again as I opened it.

127 New E-mails.

"Oh man…" I said with yet another sigh as I opened the first email. "Do I even know this guy?" I asked myself as I read the email. I responded to each and every email, although some were quite old. "I should really organize my inbox" I said to myself. "Now… Time to meet up with Asaoka…" I said as I reached for my HMD. "Huh?" I gasped. "My HMD! Where is it?" I shouted. I stood up from my desk, and looked around my terminal for it. I checked under the desk, behind the desk, above the desk, and even in the desk. "Where…" I sighed. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. "A wire…?" I asked myself as I crawled down towards my bed. I pulled the wire, and my HMD rolled out from under it. "How did it get down there…?" I sighed as I sat down at my desk again. I put my HMD over my head, but the screen remained black. "Don't tell me it's broken!" I shouted as I lifted it off my head. "Oh…" I let out a sigh of relief as I looked down at the HMD's cord. "Should probably plug it in…" I sighed as I reached around behind my terminal, and plugged the HMD in. "Alright… Now!" I cried as I mounted my HMD. "Log in!" I shouted as I logged into The World.

My HMD slowly faded to the view of Mac Anu. "Alright, looking good" I said as I ran my hand through my PC's hair. "To the bridge" I said to myself as I began my trek towards the bridge in central Mac Anu. I passed a lot of Crimson Knights, many of them were running about, and yelling at each other. "Something big must have happened. Could this all be because of what happened to Stance?" I asked myself, putting my weight on my halberd as I looked around. I neared the bridge, and scanned around it. "It's been a long time since I've seen her in The World… "Where are you…?" I sighed as I looked around for Asaoka's character, Naito. "You're late Dash" Naito said, approaching me. Her character was pretty generic, a full set of silver armor, and a pretty basic looking sword, her hair was a deep purple, and her wave crest were small circles on her cheeks, they were blue meaning her element was water, this boosted her special defense. Her obvious knight-like appearance made me wonder what Stance's character looked like before he became a Crimson Knight. "Some technical problems, nothing to worry about" I said with a sigh. "We'll you're just in time" Naito said. "Always am" I said with a grin. Naito leaned over the bridge, and pointed down towards a dock, Subaru could be seen disembarking from a boat. "Well she's well enough to be playing, let's get down there, and ask her ourselves" I said as I made my way towards the docks. "Wait! Don't be so hasty!" Asaoka said as she trailed behind me. Before I could respond, I turned a corner, and slammed right into another player. "Whoa! Sorry" I said as I slowly stood up. "Watch where you are going…" The player grunted as I slowly stood up. The player was clearly a Crimson Knight, but he did not look like any of the other knights, his helmet had two horns, and his eye pieces were a deep red, his armor was also styled differently. "What are you doing here?" He asked again with an annoyed tone. "We are here to see Subaru" I said as I gestured towards Asaoka. "She is busy" The player said coldly. I peeked past the knight, and saw Lady Subaru looking down in the river. "She doesn't look that busy to me, I'm sure she'll understand" I said as I tried to move past the knight. "I told you to get back" the knight growled. "Look buddy, this will only take a minute" I said. "I will not repeat myself" the knight said coldly. _He's not going to let me see her… I wasn't expecting this, what's with this guy? _Before I could respond, Subaru had made her way over to us. "Is there a problem Silver Knight?" She asked. "M'lady, these players were just leaving…" He said as he glared at me. "Actually…" Asaoka said as she stepped forward towards Subaru. "We were hoping we could talk to you about Stance" Asaoka said with a bow. Subaru slowly frowned when Stance was mentioned. "Stance… Yes, please… Come this way" Subaru said as she beckoned towards the harbor. "M'lady…" Silver Knight sighed. "Leave us" Subaru said harshly.. Asaoka and I followed Subaru towards the dock; I quickly sent Asaoka a private message.

**Dash: Didn't think you had it in you.**

**Naito: I won't let some overzealous knight stop me from helping Stance.**

**Dash: That dedicated huh? We'll that's good, but lets see what Subaru has to say.**

Subaru led us down a section of the dock that wasn't full of other knights, finally she turned to us. "You are friends of Stance?" She asked softly. "Yeah, the name's Dash" I said politely. "And I am Naito" Naito said with a deep bow. "I am Subaru, how may I be of assistance?" She said politely. "Well…" I said trying to think of what I should say. "Stance has been hospitalized" Naito said. Subaru lowered her head "You are friends of his in real life…?" she asked. "Yeah, we know each other in real life" I explained. "I see… how is he?" Subaru asked. "He's gonna be fine, he's still at the hospital, but he's awake, and should be released soon" I explained. "That's good to hear..." Subaru said with a smile. "What about you?" Naito asked. "Me…?" Subaru asked. "Stance said he pushed you out of the way of Tsukasa's attack, you didn't get hit did you?" I asked. "No… I owe Stance a lot… He saved me from a horrible fate… Thankfully his sacrifice was not in vain, shortly after his demise Tsukasa was captured" Subaru explained. "That's great! So the knights captured Tsukasa! Boy Stance will be happy to hear that!" I said with a smile. "Yeah" Naito nodded in agreement. Subaru looked at our excitement and frowned. "But…" She sighed. "Huh? But what? Did he escape?" I asked. "No… I…" Subaru said as she turned her back to us. Naito and I waited for her to continue, the atmosphere around us started to turn dark. "Stance… After what he did… He more than anyone has a right to know" Subaru explained. "I've spoken with Tsukasa… And he has agreed to cease his violent actions, as long as the Crimson Knights leave him be" Subaru said firmly. "So just like that you're going to let him go? After everything he's done, after what Stance did to save you from the same fate Spade and the others met? After everything that's happened because of this Tsukasa, you're just going to let him walk away like nothing ever happened? How can you do something like that and call yourself a leader?" I shouted, taking care not to raise my voice too much. _I have to let her know how I feel, how all the players must have felt._ "There are a vast number of knights that think as you do… But you have to understand… Tsukasa is… He is not to blame for his actions… At least not completely" Subaru explained. "Not to blame? But isn't he the one controlling that creature that-...that put Stance in the hospital?" I asked. "He is… But he only acted out of self defense… I should have realized sooner… I should have tried to contact Tsukasa myself, but I did not…" Subaru explained. "But he did those things regardless of that, he hurt players in reality by hurting them here in The World. How can he be allowed to just walk away unpunished? I thought the knights were here to better police this world, and to make sure that those who break the rules...Oh, I see, it doesn't matter what I say...this world has no rules, not really. The only one who can make Tsukasa sorry for what he's done is the players. You guys are just players too, but I didn't realize that until now. "We are not system administrators, nor are we system support! Not only have the knights forgotten, but it would appear the players have as well. I do not think you understand the situation; the system administrators have no control over Tsukasa, they've made repeated attempts to block his access, and have attempted to delete his character as well, each command is bounced back! If the system administrators haven't the power to stop him, then what can we; as ordinary players do? Letting him roam free is a small price to pay for the safety of those that play this game" Subaru said coldly. "So you're just going to give up, just like that? Because the administrators can't run behind you and put this problem away you're going to abandon all hope? I use to think highly of you, Subaru...but now you sound like a coward, trying to ignore a serious problem. There has to be an answer, you're just not trying hard enough! I said in a harsh tone. _What am I doing? Stance looks up to Lady Subaru more than I can understand, but I know I trust Stance...Maybe Subaru is right...but my friends that have been hurt because of this...what would they think of me? _I spoke up again just before Lady Subaru could retort; this time sounding apologetic, "I-I'm sorry, Subaru...I don't know why I was taking my anger out on you just know, but I think I realize at least this much now: That Stance holds you in the highest regard here in The World, and somehow...I know that he would trust your decision, because he would believe it to be the best route for all the players, not just the Crimson Knights. I know this isn't about covering yourself, or protecting the reputation of the knights either...So If you've let Tsukasa go free, I...will...at least give your decision time before letting my anger get the best of me again. I truly am sorry for being so rude and I wish we could have spoken more often under better circumstances." I said as I turned my back to Subaru. "Wait please… I want you to show this to Stance…" Subaru explained. Before I could formulate a response I received a flash mail. It was a spreadsheet with various times and dates on them, it all seemed normal enough, except the final log, it began about two weeks ago, and continued until this very day. I read the label on the spread sheet: **Player Tsukasa: Access logs. **_Two weeks non-stop? Maybe he just leaves his terminal logged in all the time...?_ "Alright, I'll make sure he gets it, Lady Subaru." I nodded, finding it awkward to say much of anything else to her after my outburst. "And please… Thank Stance on my behalf, and tell him that I am sorry for what has happened, as soon as he is able, I wish to speak with him" Subaru said politely. I simply nodded in response, and turned to Naito to see how she was looking, she had been quiet this entire time. I hope I didn't scare her or anything. "Naito?" I asked. She stepped forward towards Subaru, "I do not fully understand what is going on… But I want to help Stance…" Asaoka said softly. "Subaru… The knights… They do not agree with your decision do they?" Asaoka asked. "No… A lot of knights have quit, and many refuse to show up for duty" Subaru admitted. "Then… I wish to join the Crimson Knights" Naito said firmly. I stood there, dumbfounded by what Naito had said. "Join the knights…It has been some time since we've had a female member… Are you positive you wish to join?" Subaru asked seriously. "I am" Naito said confidently. "But I have a request" Naito added. "Yes?" Subaru asked. "I wish to be in the same squad with Stance, I want to assist him myself. I won't let something like this happen again" Naito said. "I see… But the female uniform…" Subaru started. "I've heard from Stance… it can't be all that bad, I'll wear it" Naito said coldly. "Very well… Please come with me… That is of course if our business is concluded, Sir Dash?" Subaru asked. "Oh, yeah...good luck, you two." I said, blinking in utter surprise at what had just happened. "Very well, farewell" Subaru said with a bow. "See you tomorrow Dash" Naito said with a bow. Subaru and Naito turned towards a large building and entered, leaving me alone. "Guess I'll log out and check the BBS or something…" I said to myself. I logged out of the game, and began reading all the new posts on the BBS; one thread in particular caught my attention, it read:

**User: XII**

**Subject: Help me please!**

**Someone help please! I've been trying to complete the field, ****Δ**** Strange Disgraced Virgin, but I keep getting pked by this player who calls himself: RENOX, DESTROYER OF WORLDS. He won't leave me alone and he's always there waiting for me, it's creeping me out! Does this guy even have a life, it's like he never logs off! Help, please!**

_Looks like no one has replied to his post yet...and what's this about the player never logging off, could that be related to Tsukasa? I think I better go check this out._ I hastily logged back into The World. "**Δ**** Strange Disgraced Virgin…** I'm already at Mac Anu, so it's a straight shot to the area" I said as I approached the chaos gate, and entered the key words.

I was warped to the corresponding area, it was a grassland, but it was raining; it gave the field an eerie feel as the rain fell silently. I scanned my surroundings, and could not locate anyone. "The Dungeon most likely…" I sighed to myself as I ran my hand through my hair. Before I could set out, another player warped directly in front of me. I readied my halberd, and assumed a combat position. The player wore a purple dress, that made her blend in well with the dark environment, but her yellow hair stood out completely. _Is that…_ "Kaochin...?" I said as I peered at the player. The player quickly spun around, and brought her large axe into a combat ready position, "Who are you! Wait! I recognize you…" Kaochin said as she studied me. "What are you doing here, Kaochin?" I asked, surprised that she of all people was here. "I should have known the great heroic knights would come to rescue the helpless player" Kaochin said mockingly. "I take it Stance must be here as well" Kaochin said as she lowered her axe. "No, Stance...Stance isn't online right now, and Hey, I'm not one of the Crimson Knights!" I said, trying to sound annoyed. "Could have fooled me, you're always there with him, so in my eyes, you're no better than him; just another drone" Kaochin said harshly. "You're wrong, he's not a drone, and neither am I. We just care about The World, and not only about our level in the game." I said. "Just what are you saying? You think I don't care about this game?! You haven't any idea! I love this game! That's why I fight against the crimson knights, and that idiot Subaru!" Kaochin shouted. "I have no idea? Maybe you're right, but how could fighting against the Crimson Knights and Subaru be good for this world?" I asked. "Don't you get it!? Look at her! I had this look long before she started playing, and now because she's so famous, everyone calls me the faker, everyone says I copied her! I didn't copy her, and the fact that anyone claims that is ridiculous! Then she started that stupid group, the crimson knights. Of course everyone welcomed it at first, but I've seen first hand what they really are on the inside" Kaochin explained. "I see, I didn't know that, Kaochin...but I don't think that's Subaru's fault...Still, what do you mean about what the Crimson Knights really are on the inside?" I asked. "Isn't it obvious? Half of the crimson knights killed me again, and again. I don't care if Subaru told them to or not, I'll make each and every one of them pays for their actions, which includes that idiot Stance" Kaochin said harshly. "Wait, they just killed you because you looked like Subaru, or was it something else?" I asked. "They killed me because of my appearance, they said I was disgracing Subaru" Kaochin explained. "I...didn't know that, and...What about Stance, did he kill you for that reason too?" I asked. "No! That idiot pities me and I know it! He takes up for me because he feels sorry for me, I don't want his pity, he can give it to someone else, he's a crimson knight just like those other idiots, and he clearly supports them!" Kaochin shouted. "I see." I said with a sigh of relief. "Well, look...I'm sorry for miss-judging you, but PKing isn't a solution...speaking of which, that's why I'm here. I guess you're here because of that post on the BBS as well, but...why would you care if a player was being Pked?" I asked. "That idiot calls himself the "Destroyer of Worlds" he must be one arrogant fool to call himself something like that, I'm gonna smack that smug grin right off his face, and bury my axe in his forehead" Kaochin said with a grin. "Heh, I should have guessed. So you're here to prove to him he's weak, and I'm here to make sure he doesn't PK that player or any player, ever again. I don't suppose there is any chance of me talking you down, huh?" I asked. "Absolutely not! I'll have him begging for mercy" Kaochin said with a laugh. "Heh, I figured as much...well then, it's settled; we'll do this together. How about it, partner?" I said with a grin as I sent her my member address. "What!? Why are you trying to help me!? You've already helped Stance kill me twice; saving me one time is not enough to warrant forgiveness!" Kaochin shouted. "Whoa, calm down...I said I was sorry for miss-judging you, but I'm not going to apologize for stopping you from PKing. It's in our best interest to work together here; otherwise we're just going to be getting in one another's way." I explained. Kaochin lowered her weapon "Fine! But if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to kill you!" Kaochin shouted. "Fair enough, now let's make haste...we've lingered here long enough, don't you think?" I smirked, pointing my halberd in the direction of the dungeon. "Whatever, let's go" Kaochin said as she formed a party with me, and stormed off towards the dungeon.

I hurried behind Kaochin, as she headed for the dungeon. "You know, I've always admired your avatar...I mean, I can tell you put a lot of time in to it just by the amount of detail..." I said as I chased after her. "Are you making fun of me? Or is this a bad attempt at flirting?" Kaochin asked as she continued running towards the dungeon. "Heh, well I don't usually flirt with girl avatars in The World, and I'm definitely not making fun of you, so uh...neither, I guess." I smirked, tossing my halberd over my shoulder. "Humph! I don't see what Stance sees in you…" Kaochin sighed as she slowed to a walking pace. "Heh, well aren't you a ray of sunshine..." I muttered sarcastically as we stepped in to the dungeon. "I'm not here to brighten your day, and don't be afraid to make your opinions known, whispering, and hiding are things cowards do, are you a coward?" Kaochin asked as we walked down a long corridor. "Weird, seems like I've heard that before, but I'm not whispering, I was being sarcastic. It's not much different from you being hateful except I'm not trying to hurt your feelings." I explained as we continued down the long corridor that was the dungeon's entrance. "I'm not being hateful; I've just grown to expect stupidity from the crimson knights, and those that hang around them. And you just happen to be friends with Stance, and he's been a thorn in my side for so long" Kaochin explained. "How long… When did you guys meet...I mean, how did you two meet in the first place?" I asked as we entered the second room of the dungeon. Before Kaochin could respond she stopped, and scanned the area. "A fork…" She said. "Wait… I think I have…" I said as I opened my inventory. "Ha! Yeah! Fairy orb! I said as I snapped my fingers. The fairies burst forth from the orb, and began exploring the floor of this dungeon; soon both Kaochin and I had a complete map of this floor. "Alright, looks like we need to go left" I said as I scanned my map. "Whatever, just don't lag behind" Kaochin grunted as she continued deeper into the dungeon. "Kaochin, could you answer my question?" I asked. "Fine… I met Stance back when he was still new, infact it was his first time playing… His character was absolutely incredible, I thought I could make him fight with me against the crimson knights, so I took him to that damn cathedral, but then he started to panic for god knows what. Then the crimson knights showed up! On top of that it was their highest ranking knight! That idiot Stance ran away, I was able to sidestep that idiotic knight, and chase Stance out of the cathedral, but then I saw her… It was Subaru, and she had actually left the root town! She's clearly a low level because she rarely leaves Mac Anu, so I was sure I would be able to kill her right there, but then that idiot Stance got in my way" Kaochin said, her fist trembling with anger. "You mean you didn't try to PK Stance? But...but he thinks you were going to kill him, and the knights saved him from you." I said. Kaochin continued into the next room, but didn't bother to say anything as she knew what direction to travel in. "No! I wanted him to help me, but that idiot started to panic when I got close to him, clearly he was afraid of me" Kaochin grunted. "That's...that's incredible...all of this was a misunderstanding. I mean, could that really be? That you both just misunderstood one another?" I asked in disbelief. "I don't care anymore, he made his decision, and now he has to live with it, he's a crimson knight, and my enemy, infact I should view you as an enemy as well." Kaochin said. "I already told you, I'm not a Crimson Knight." I said. "That's like telling an enemy army that has invaded your country you're not their enemy. Civilian or not, you're a citizen of the country they've invaded, and are still considered an enemy!" Kaochin shouted. Before I could respond a player emerged from the stairs leading down to the next floor. His character wore blue clothing, and brandished two small daggers, his hair was silver, and he was small, somewhat reminiscent of a child. "Well, well what have we hear? More lambs to the slaughter?" the player asked. "Just who are you!?" Kaochin shouted. "My name is Brandon, Brandon Silver, and this is as far as you go" Brandon said as he brandished his daggers. "Brandon Silver, then you're not the PKer mentioned in the BBS post. Was all this just a setup that I fell for?" I asked. "Oh no, Renox is down below, but you won't get down there, as you won't get past me" Brandon said with a chuckle. "Oh yeah?" I said with a grin as I stepped forward. Kaochin moved her Axe in front of me, signaling me to stop. "Arrogant fools like you are the ones I love crushing the most! I'll enjoy hearing your screams as I hack your body into tiny pieces" Kaochin said with a wicked grin. "Heh, alright...this one's all yours, Kaochin." I smirked, looking to Brandon Silver, "Good luck, you're gonna need it." I said with a serious expression. "I've been feeling rather frustrated lately, what better way to relieve myself than crushing a fool like you… I hope you're prepared, because I will not spare you" Kaochin said as she brought her axe into a combat position. "You talk too much, let's just skip to the fighting" Brandon said as he juggled his daggers. "I'll crush you!" Kaochin shouted as she ran forward, and swung her axe horizontally. Brandon jumped over her attack, and landed behind her. "You're slow! This will be too easy!" Brandon said as he ran forward readying to attack. "You're a fool for underestimating me!" Kaochin shouted as she spun around to face him. "Ani don!" Kaochin shouted, as she cast a darkness spell, that flew straight into Brandon. He was blown straight to the ground half dead. "Magic travels faster than my axe" Kaochin said as she slowly walked over to Brandon. "It's not over yet!" Brandon yelled as he leapt to his feet, and attacked Kaochin. "Dragon Rage!" He shouted as he unleashed a barrage of fire based attacks. Kaochin remained standing, her health barely depleted. "You're attacks are far too weak!" Kaochin taunted. "That doesn't matter, you still can't hit me!" Brandon retorted. "We'll just see about that!" Kaochin shouted as she charged towards Brandon. "Ani Break!" Kaochin shouted as she spun her axe around her head, and brought it crashing down on Brandon. Brandon brought his daggers up to defend, but Kaochin's attack was far too strong. The attack hit Brandon head on, and sent him tumbling to the floor. "That was pathetic; you're a waste of my time!" Kaochin said with a twisted smile. "This is my favorite part" Kaochin said happily to herself. Kaochin walked over to Brandon, and grabbed him by his collar; she tossed him straight into a nearby wall, and laughed. Brandon slowly used the wall to leverage himself, and climbed to his feet. "Suvi Lei!" Kaochin shouted casting a spell. Brandon's body was surrounded by a bright light, and he was frozen in place with a paralyzing spell. "And now… I'll make it fast, no use prolonging the inevitable right?" Kaochin said in a soft voice as she approached Brandon. "Wait, Kaochin...we don't have time. He's learned his lesson, trust me, I can see it in his eyes; he's scared. He's obviously just a boy, let him be and let's keep going. Killing him like this won't prove anything that you haven't already proven." I said seriously. "Just a boy… I'll let him go… If he begs me to" Kaochin said softly as she draped her arms around Brandon's neck. "Otherwise…" Kaochin said playfully as she brandished her axe in front of Brandon's face. "Better take my advice, kid, ask her to let you go. Tell her you've learned your lesson. She's not joking." I said seriously. Brandon was starting to panic; he was desperately trying to move. "Well…?" Kaochin whispered into his ear. "I… I… No! Even if I die it's still just a game!" Brandon shouted as he struggled to move. "Oh well…" Kaochin said as she lifted her axe, and brought it crashing violently into Brandon's arm. The force of the blow severed his arm, and sent him falling towards the ground, his character cried out in mixture of pain, and fear. "Now you see what happens when you fail to do as I say" Kaochin said with a smirk as she picked up Brandon's severed hand. "There is still time… Although I like seeing you in this state of fear, and anguish, I'll give you one more chance to beg for my mercy" Kaochin said as she ran her fingers through Brandon's silver hair. "Say it, kid, tell her you're sorry. It's the only way!" I shouted. "No, you'll just be defeated anyway; I don't care what happens to me…" Brandon shouted as he tried to stand. "Perfect…" Kaochin said gleefully. Kaochin brought her axe high above her head. "That's enough, Kaochin! Stop!" I shouted. Kaochin lowered her axe, and glared at me "Why should I stop this!? We're here to kill them are we not?" Kaochin asked. "We're here to kill them, not torture, humiliate and mutilate them. Despite what you may think, there is a difference." I shouted. "Oh… But what about this… I remember Stance killing me this way… Yes I remember it clearly…" Kaochin said as she slowly walked towards Brandon. "It was this very spell right here… If a crimson knight is considered noble in doing this, then why not I?" Kaochin said with her typical twisted smile. "MeAni Zot!" Kaochin shouted. Large dark spikes rose from the ground, and impaled Brandon. His bodied disappeared into the mass of spikes, the spikes slowly started to decent back into the ground, leaving the mangled corpse of Brandon lying on the floor; dead. "Such is the fate for all those who cross me" Kaochin said as with a wicked grin. I stood there, shocked by Kaochin's actions. "Well, that was far too easy… Hey! Are you coming!?" Kaochin shouted from across the room. "Yeah…" I said as I made my way over to her position. _I think she's trying to mess with my head…_ Kaochin and I made our way down the stairs, and to the second level of the dungeon. "Hey…" Kaochin said. I didn't pay attention to Kaochin, and continued onward. "Hey! Listen to me!" Kaochin shouted "What, what is it now Kaochin?" I said shouting as I spun around to face her. "Why… why do you waste your time with Stance? It's obvious to me you're nothing alike" Kaochin asked. "I don't waste my time with anyone but you apparently. You may think you and Stance are alike, but he is not so petty as to torture a random player for his own personal pleasure. Everything Stance does is for a reason, and that reason is just. What do you fight for, Kaochin? Revenge? You can't fight for no one but yourself. And you expect others to sympathize with you; not when you're selfish and undeserving to be in this world..." I stopped myself, already regretting what I had said. _Agh, stupid James! I can't believe you let her get under your skin like that, what would Stance think?_ Before she could respond I spoke up again, "I-I'm sorry, that was un-called for...but I, I just feel like you're judging me because I am a friend of Stance's, and not because of who I am on my own." I explained. "Fight for no one but myself… That may be true, but I've yet to meet anyone worth fighting for. And how dare you insult me for my style of play! I play this game to have fun, and I make sure that all my targets are crimson knights! Rarely do I harm an innocent player! Every player has a place in this world, just like I had mine! But Subaru made sure I lost that! Now I can't even hang around with my friends, because the knights keep harassing them! You may not be a Crimson Knight, but you are just as blind as they are…" Subaru said as turned away from me. "Look, I've never harassed you for anything but PKing another player...something I am guilty of as well, although for different reasons entirely. Still, Kaochin...I'm willing to start over, and start anew with you. I'll gladly accept you as a friend, and I hope you would do the same once you gave me the time of day, once you gave me a chance to show you who I am, not who you think I am...and that works in reverse as well, but one thing is for certain: us bickering isn't going to do anyone any good. Don't you think a solution would be best for everyone, including the player who needs our help right now?" I said apologetically. "Friends or not… I won't stop my actions against the crimson knights, and they may even come after you as well. Your so called friend Stance may even attack you himself, I don't see what you have to gain from trying to be my friend" Kaochin said coldly. "I'm not worried about that, I just think you haven't been given a fair chance, and maybe getting to know you will help make both of our lives in The World easier. People underestimate me often too, even at school...I mean; I have a lot of friends, sure. I guess that's because I'm the new guy, and an exchange student...you see, I'm from America, but now I live in Japan. Despite all of my friends though, I am often taken for granted or underestimated...albeit I'm usually very close to being late, or I am actually late to whatever I'm doing, and I sometimes day-dream, but I always ask questions when I have them and I hardly ever fail at what I am doing...at least in the sense of school-related work. I'm sorry; I'm just rambling now...we should keep going." I explained. "American…"Kaochin said to herself. "Whatever… You've got my member address… Just don't bring along that idiot Stance… And don't get in my way when I'm about to finish off some fool" Kaochin said as she turned away from me and continued on. "Great and you can have mine!" I shouted with a newly found energy as I ran onward, behind her. "You don't even know the way!" Kaochin shouted from behind me. "I guess that's why you're leading" I said with a chuckle. "You're so annoying! I don't see why Stance would give you the time of day! Don't you have another fairies orb?" Kaochin shouted. "Oh, yeah...of course I do. Here, wait just a second." I said as I opened my inventory, and used another Fairies orb. Soon the map was revealed to Kaochin and I, and we continued towards the stairs leading down to the next floor. Kaochin and I walked side by side, down a long corridor. "You know… Stance and I aren't that different at all, despite what you say, I've seen how he acts when we fight." Kaochin mused. "Huh, what do you mean?" I asked. "You haven't noticed it? He acts just as I do, he kills without remorse. He asks them to surrender before the fight, and I ask them to surrender after the fight, either way the end result is violent." Kaochin explained. "So what's your point exactly, Kaochin?" I asked. "Who knows?" She said playfully. "Maybe I could persuade Stance to help me after all" Kaochin added with a playful grin. "I...don't think so, Kaochin. You may have a point by saying you and Stance fight in similar fashions but your reasons for fighting are much different." I said seriously. "And just what does he fight for? Justice? Law? Peace? He fights for the players of this world, and these very same players curse him behind his own back, you know as well as I that the majority of the player base does not like the crimson knights, sooner or later Stance will crack, and when he does" Kaochin said softly. "Heh, you sound so sure. Though if you like Stance that much I don't really think making him desperate is the best way to show your affection." I said firmly. Kaochin turned around, and brought her axe in a combat position. "Don't you dare twist my words! Of all the players in this world I hate, he is second on the list! After Subaru gets what she has coming to her, I'll move onto Stance, and make him wish he joined up with me! If Stance had half a brain he'd quit the knights right now and help me. But he, like everyone else can't look past the desires of that fool Subaru to see what they themselves truly want!" Kaochin shouted. "He's just playing the role of his character, that's Stance." I said with a shrug. "You know, Kaochin...you might have a little more fun in the world if you had a more positive goal to aim for." I added. "Positive? I've already told you what the knights have done to me! Are you saying I should just let that go!? You're probably going to tell me to ask Subaru to stop them, right? Well I've tried, and it didn't work, she can't even control her own knights! I see nothing wrong with wanting to take revenge on the crimson knights" Kaochin said as she crossed her arms. "Well, if that's your character then sure...but holding personal grudges over online games is kind of...childish, don't you think? This is a game designed for fun and leisure." I said. "I put a lot of work into this character, and I had so many friends, it used to just be one adventure after another, it was great! But then the crimson knights showed up, I was constantly pked by knights; soon they started targeting my friends! My friends left me of course, because they didn't want to be under constant attack. Then players started calling ME a Subaru clone, they didn't use my actual alias: Kaochin, they called me a clone, a rip off, a cheap imitation, when it was I who put so much work into this character" Kaochin shouted. "Childish or not, I'm not seeking acceptance from you, and I'll continue my actions against the knights. I know I'm not the only one that's been treated this way, so not only am I fighting for my revenge, but the revenge of others as well" Kaochin said with an annoyed tone. "Well, I still think it's not a good idea to base your entire time here in the world on PKing the Crimson Knights. Still, I won't bother you about it anymore, we still have to be a team, you know? I'm sure the next "boss" player will be just a little ways up ahead." I said seriously. "Typical" Kaochin sighed to herself as she continued towards the stairs leading down to the next floor.

Kaochin and I continued deeper into the dungeon, eventually stopping when we came across a player. The room was held a large pit of lava at the center, and the player was facing away from us looking down at the lava. "As expected, that idiot Brandon Silver was defeated, such a waste…" The player said as he turned around revealing his character. His armor was… Well it wasn't subtle at all; a bright red and gold mix, with some silver places along the trim. "My name is Wolfe'… The Crimson Wolf! Facing me is a foolish endeavor, turn back now, and I may spare your lives!" Wolfe said as he brushed his hair aside. "Heh, if you're trying to impress the girl don't bother, she's in love with someone else." I said with a chuckle. "And just what is that supposed to mean!?" Kaochin shouted. "Heh, Shhh...I'm just trying to get a reaction out of him. I know I said I wouldn't bother you again about it, but I just couldn't resist" I said softly with a grin. "I don't care! Just what are you trying to imply!" Kaochin shouted. "Look, it's nothing personal" I said apologetically. "You idiot, that's exactly what it is: personal, not to mention you're slandering my reputation!" Kaochin yelled. "Hey…" Wolfe' said. "Look, I was only joking, don't get so worked up" I said. "You're so foolish, I get a headache just being around you! How can anyone put up with you!?" Kaochin yelled. "I'm just a likeable guy" I said with a grin. "Oh, and you're so arrogant!" Kaochin shouted. "Hey" Wolfe said, increasing the sound of his voice. "Oh! I'm arrogant? Kaochin, you're the queen of arrogant!" I shouted back. "I'm not arrogant you idiot, I'm just confident!" Kaochin retorted. "Hey you two! Shut up, and listen to me!" Wolfe' yelled at the top of his lungs. Kaochin and I both turned and glared at Wolfe' "Can't you see we're trying to have a discussion here!?" Kaochin and I both yelled in unison. "Just shut up! Or I'll kill you both" Wolfe' shouted. "Oh that's it! I've had it with these arrogant players, I'm going to chop you're head off, and use it as a puppet" Kaochin said with a twisted smile. "No Kaochin… Let me handle this one" I said as I pointed the tip of my halberd at Wolfe'. "Whatever" Kaochin sighed as she rested herself against her axe. I smirked and raised my halberd above my head; vaulting across the pool of lava to the wall and using my legs to ricochet to the far-end of the pathway. There I landed behind the flamboyant blademaster and stabbed the butt of my halberd into the dungeon floor. "Heh, I guess we all have to learn eventually. That kind of attitude can only get you so far without the strength and determination to back it up, you know?" The player gripped his blade, straining himself for a moment before dropping his arms loosely to his side and raring back with uncontrollable laughter. I swung my halberd once and took an offensive stance, shouting to him, "Hey! Losing it this early in the fight isn't a good sign, but if you want to go ahead and call it quits I won't hold it against you. Just say the word and you can walk out of here without losing anything. Otherwise-" He cut me off with an arrogant and smug remark, "Hey shut up, idiot! You are obviously a fool who is blinded by the insecurities of his class! I bet you are wishing you would have chosen to be a Blademaster class now, aren't you?" I ignored him and charged forward, vaulting right over him and ducking down, "I was going to say, before you interrupted me: Otherwise, I hope you've saved your experience points recently, because now it's too late!" My cry caught him off guard because just as he spun around I called out the name of my first attack, a skill called Vak Wipe that delivers a sweeping attack to the legs, causing the one hit by it to be literally swept off of their feet and on to the ground. "Vak Wipe!" I shouted, slamming my halberd in to his legs and sweeping him harshly to the ground. I Stepped backwards and rested my halberd on my shoulder; smirking. "Well, I guess it's on to the next level." I said, turning back to Kaochin with a cheerful wave, but she wasn't sharing my enthusiasm. She was actually flailing her arms in the air, shouting, "Behind you, you idiot, it's not over yet! Behind you!" _Behind me...Oh!_ I turned around in time to see his blade slam in to my chest, sending me sliding backwards along the path. I was down on one knee, but my hit points were barely depleted. _For a sucker punch, that was a pretty weak attempt. Maybe this guy is a push-over after all_. "Agh, ouch...You're tougher than I gave you credit for, heh. You've got stamina, I'll give you that much, but I only used one of my most basics skills, so don't go getting a big head just yet." I stood back up with little more than my pride hurt. "Well, come on then, let's see your real strength Wolfie!" I shouted. "What, Wolfie!? My name is Wolfe', can't you read right, idiot?!" He said mockingly. "Don't you mean, cant I pronunciate correctly? That would be the proper way to say it." I smirked, watching his face begin to grow a bright red. "How dare you correct me, you imbecile! I'll make you rue the day you crossed Wolfe' the Crimson Wolf!" He brought his sword up to attack, charging forward and swinging downward at me vertically. I parried with the blade of my Halberd, shoving him aside with his own force. "Whoa! Say it don't spray it, bro." I taunted, parrying another one of his angry swipes. "That's it, prepare to meet your doom, coward!" He yelled. _Coward...does this guy even know what he's talking about?_ He readied his sword again but I beat him to the punch, "Vak Repulse!" I yelled, spinning my halberd and causing a flurry of strikes to hit him nearly all at once. He stumbled back a few feet, another quarter of his hit points depleted. He quickly used an item to heal and then held out his sword as if to tell me to halt. "Hey, why don't you fight me in a real duel? How about no skills, just basic attacks only...huh, what do you say to that? I bet you're afraid!" All I could do was stop myself from laughing, but I managed to respond. "Oh, well isn't that how you've been fighting this whole time so far, so to speak?" I managed to gasp between my laughter. "What!?" Wolfe' shouted as he ran forward swinging his sword wildly. I parried his attack, but he followed up with a counter attack that I was unable to block, his attack knocked me backwards, and into a wall. "Ha! That's what you get!" Wolfe' said triumphantly. "Sheesh, you land one attack, and you think you've won the fight" I sighed as I rose to my feet, and dusted myself off. "One attack is all I need!" Wolfe' shouted back. "But I'm still standing" I said seriously. "Shut up!" He shouted as he charged forward. I simply took one step to my right, and held my foot out, as I had expected Wolfe' ran right past me, and tripped over my foot. He fell face first into the wall, losing some health as he did. "Sheesh, you're pretty angry, you may want to calm down" I said seriously. "Shut up! I'll kill you!" He shouted, as he grabbed his injured red face, and charged towards me. I casually side stepped out of his way. Wolfe' turned around and repeated his charging tactic, and again I casually side stepped out of the way, I started to hum a small tune, as I continued to dodge him. "Why won't you fight me!?" Wolfe' shouted. "Oh? Is that what you want me to do?" I asked sarcastically. "Fight me!" Wolfe' shouted as he charged forward. I jammed my halberd into the ground, and vaulted upward. Wolfe' stopped beneath me, he brought his sword up to parry my attack, but instead of attacking; I simply landed in front of him, and smiled. Wolfe' was furious, and he started to scream incoherently. "Whoa there buddy" I said as I began to parry Wolfe's flurry of attacks. "Die, die, die!" Wolfe' cried as he continuously attacked. "Enough!" I shouted, as I bolted Wolfe' with the butt of my halberd. "Your yelling is getting really annoying! I'll give you a chance to surrender" I said seriously, as I assumed my typical combat stance. "No! I will not be ordered around by the likes of you!" Wolfe' shouted as he jumped to his feet. "I've heard your bark dog, now let me see your bite!" I shouted as I charged forward meeting him head on. Our weapons clashed as they met each other, Wolfe's attacks were sporadic, and lacked any form at all; I was easily able to parry them. I eventually broke Wolfe's chain of attacks; I jabbed him in the stomach with the blunt side of my halberd, as he knelt down in pain, I readied my skill. I threw my halberd high into the air; I jumped up, catching it skillfully "Vak Doom!" I shouted as I brought my halberd crashing down on his head. Before he could react, I spun my halberd around my head, and brought it crashing into his abdomen, finally, I shoved my halberd straight into his chest, the force of this attack sent him flying backwards; straight into the lava. "I won't forget th-" Wolfe' shouted but was cut off by his timely demise. I let out a heavy sigh, as I draped my halberd around the back of my neck. "Didn't think I was gonna make it for a second" I said with a grin. "You're a showoff" Kaochin said as she rested against her axe. "Come on, that guy had it coming. I was just enjoying the moment, but if you're impressed you don't have to hide it." I said with a smirk. "So you enjoy fighting do you?" Kaochin said as she regained her posture, and made her way over to me. "Do I enjoy fighting? Nah, not really...but I do enjoy the fight." I said with a smirk. Kaochin looked at me with a puzzled expression, and finally let out a heavy sigh as she covered her face with the palm of her hand. "Well you did a good job with the lava, it was entertaining to see him melt like that" she said seriously. "Heh, no time for the mushy stuff, we gotta keep moving, Kaochin." I winked, urging her onward with a sarcastic smirk. "You're far to Chauvinistic for your own good" Kaochin grunted as she continued to the next room. I followed behind her, as we made our way down to the next floor.

"Might as well get this out of the way" I said as I used a fairy's orb to explore the map. "I've only got two left, lets hope we're getting close" I sighed as I studied the map. "Good thing I had that orb too… This floor looks so confusing" I said as I studied the floors layout. "Perhaps for you…" Kaochin said as she continued onward. I chuckled, and followed closely behind her. I followed Kaochin deep into the dungeon; the atmosphere around us had become rather awkward; so I decided to break the silence. "So...come here often?" I asked. "It is a low level area… I often trick knights into coming to low level areas so that I may kill them." Kaochin explained. "Oh… wait… was that an attempt at flirting with me?" Kaochin asked with an annoyed tone. "Hah...No, no...But I didn't know about the luring the knights thing to be honest. What I meant though, heh...was do you play The World often?" I asked. "Normally when I get home from school, or on the weekends, I normally play at least an hour a day" Kaochin explained. "Wait!? Why are you asking me such personal questions!?" Kaochin shouted back at me. "Personal? What I asked didn't really require any personal information...you could have just said something vague, you know?" I said. "You were inquiring about my life outside The World, and that's none of your concern!" Kaochin snapped back. "Hey, hey! I was just asking how often you play The World; I don't care about your life outside the game." I said. "You truly are a fool" Kaochin sighed.

"Hey…" Kaochin said. "Yeah?" I said. "Why do you play The World?" Kaochin asked. "Well...If you would have asked me back when I first started I would have said to play with Stance, but to be honest, we hardly ever get to play together these days, since he's always on duty so to speak, but to answer your question: I play The World to have fun, and meet new people. I guess I'm just a kid at heart when it comes to these sorts of things." I explained. "How childish" Kaochin giggled. "What about you?" I asked. "I've already told you why I play The World. I want the crimson knights to pay for what they've done to me" Kaochin said bitterly. "You know, when you aren't talking about the knights, you're a pretty nice person to talk to, Kaochin." I said seriously. "What!? I'm not here for your entertainment! And just what do you mean "nice!?" I'm anything but nice!" Kaochin shouted. "Heh, sorry I said anything. I didn't know you weren't fond of compliments." I said with a smirk. "I should gut you right here…" Kaochin sighed to herself as we continued deep into the dungeon.

Kaochin and I stopped as we reached the stairs leading down to the next floor, as expected, a player stood in our way. The player wore an obsidian helmet that covered most of his face, only his mouth was exposed. His skin was a dark tan; he wore a neatly polished obsidian breastplate. His clothing was missing a sleeve; exposing his well toned arm, it was tattered with various scars. Kaochin and I stood there staring at the player, who seemed to be meditating. "Umm…" I said trying to get his attention. "Hey!" Kaochin shouted. The player just stood there, starring at us. "The others…" The player finally spoke up. "Oh? Yeah we defeated them" I said with a grin. "Weaklings" The player sighed. "And I'm sure you're no different!" Kaochin shouted. "I am stronger" The player said firmly. "I bet you think you're pretty tough huh? Playing the strong silent type right? Man guys like you piss me off" Kaochin shouted. "You're all alike! And there is nothing I love more than seeing the defeated face of some arrogant bastard!" Kaochin said with her all too familiar twisted smile. "Heh, be careful, Kaochin. This guy doesn't look like he's bluffing. I'm right here if you need me." I said seriously. "You just stay out of my way, and let me have my fun" Kaochin said as she stepped forward, and brandished her large axe. "Heh, alright." I said as I stepped back. "I am Terra, and I will not allow you to pass without fighting me" Terra said firmly. "Fine by me, I would have killed you anyway" Kaochin said with a giggle. "Let your weapon do the talking" Terra said as he unsheathed his large Katana. "Gladly" Kaochin said softly. Kaochin jumped forward and brought her axe crashing down in front of her; but Terra was easily able to dodge it. "Your attacks are too slow" Terra said firmly. "I don't need a heavy blade to lecture me about speed!" Kaochin shouted. "Then… I will show you" Terra said as he prepared to attack. Kaochin couldn't defend herself against Terra's speed; Kaochin was hit, and sent tumbling to the floor. "Kaochin! You alright?!" I shouted. "Keep out of this!" Kaochin shouted as she used her axe to regain her posture. "Do you understand now?" Terra asked. "You're stronger than those idiots before you, I'll give you that, but you can't beat me" Kaochin taunted. "We shall see" Terra said as he prepared to attack. Terra dashed forward, jumping over Kaochin; however Kaochin quickly spun around, and hit him just as he landed, her attack obviously the stronger of the two, as it sent Terra into the wall behind him. "You think you're the only one who's tried to beat me using speed?" Kaochin asked. "Ha! A lot of people think like that, and I've grown used to having people run around me! It's become so predictable, infact compared to some… You don't even compare!" Kaochin said with a grin. "Danku!" Terra shouted as he quickly stood up, he dashed past Kaochin, and cut her as he did so. Kaochin held her waist as she was forced to one knee. "That skill increases my speed, I'm positive not even you saw it coming. Tell me… You have not fought many heavy blades before have you?" Terra asked in his typical firm voice. "Kaochin!" I shouted as I readied my halberd, prepared to intervene. "Shut up!" Kaochin shouted as she healed herself and rose to her feet. "I've fought faster people than you; blademasters, and twin blades even. Without that skill, you're just another heavy blade" Kaochin said with a grin. "We shall see" Terra said. "Gohryu!" Terra shouted. Terra dashed forward, and jumped high into the air, "Ani Break!" Kaochin shouted as she lifted her axe with one hand, and started to spin it skillfully. Terra landed in front of Kaochin, trying to avoid Kaochin's axe as it spun above her head. "Die" Terra said as he lurched forward preparing to stab Kaochin. Within an instant Kaochin brought her axe crashing down on top of Terra, the attack floored him instantly, and left half his health depleted. "You see? Even I can be fast if I depend on a skill" Kaochin said as she kneeled down closer to Terra. "But I'm not willing to entrust my life to one single attack" Kaochin said as she spat on Terra's back. "You're worthless" Kaochin added as she kicked him in the waist. "And you talk too much" Terra added as he rose to his feet, healing himself as he did. Kaochin let out a heavy sigh as she readied her axe. "I was not expecting your skill, but now I know your capabilities, you were a fool not to finish me off when I was disabled" Terra said firmly. _She should have…_ "It's more interesting this way" Kaochin said with a giggle. "I am done toying around, I will finish you off now" Terra said as he gripped his blade tightly. "Any last words?" Terra asked. "Just two" Kaochin said. "Fu-" Kaochin started but I quickly interrupted her "Kaochin!" I shouted as I motioned her not to continue. Kaochin rolled her eyes at me, and looked back at Terra. "If that is all, then prepare yourself" Terra said as he readied to attack. "You sure are cocky, I'm going to love killing you" Kaochin said with a twisted smile. "Danku" Terra shouted as he dashed forward with blinding speed, his attack hit Kaochin, but she stood her ground. "Danku!" Terra shouted again, as he dashed past Kaochin, cutting her as he did so. Kaochin grunted as she fell to one knee. "Danku!" Terra repeated, he dashed past Kaochin as he sliced her once more. Kaochin was barely able to keep her posture, her clothing was tattered, and torn in many places, and she was bleeding profusely. "I can't just stand here…" I grunted to myself. _What a lame tactic, he really does rely on one skill, how idiotic!_ "Danku!" Terra shouted as he repeated the process of dashing past Kaochin, and cutting her. "You are finished" Terra said as he prepared to execute Kaochin. Kaochin burst forward, she bashed her axe's hilt straight into Terra; the attack sent him stumbling backwards. "I see… You still have some fight left in you…" Terra said as he regained his composure. "You're far too cocky for your own good; don't think that you've beaten me yet! I could be naked, and bleeding my guts out, but I'd still have more than enough power to kill you" Kaochin taunted as she struggled to stand. "I will kill you now" Terra said as he readied to attack. "Danku!" He shouted… But instead of dashing forward he just stood there. Kaochin, smiled as she pushed herself forward. "Ani Basher!" Kaochin shouted, as she grabbed her axe, and spun her self around. Terra couldn't hide his shock; he brought his sword up to parry Kaochin's attack, but her attack tore right through his sword, breaking it easily, her axe sliced him right through the waist, and severed him in two. "Dear god" I couldn't help but shout as I watched what had just happened. Terra tried to move, but without his legs it was completely fruitless; he would be dead soon. "How…" Terra managed to gasp. "Simple, I just let you attack me until you ran out of SP; when we first entered this room, I noticed you had a blue aura around you; meaning you had the spell Rig Gaem cast, clearly you sacrificed a stat to obtain your speed, it just so happens this stat was your SP, am I correct?" Kaochin explained with a twisted smile. "Yes…" Terra sighed. "It wore off during our fight; you were just too stupid to actually notice. After that I just let you attack, I got worried when I ran out of potions, but I was positive my defense would save me, and of course, it did." Kaochin said with a chuckle. "You are… Pretty good…" Terra said. Kaochin shoved the butt of her axe onto Terra's neck, "No, I'm the best" Kaochin said correcting him. Terra slowly faded to a dull gray, and then disappeared from the dungeon. "The fate of all who dare get in my way" Kaochin said confidently. "And the fate of Stance as well" Kaochin said as she limped back over to me. "Kaochin… That was one gutsy move!" I said with a wink. "Enough of your praise; just heal me" Kaochin commanded. "I never suspected a thing! I thought you were done for!" I said. "I told you to heal me!" Kaochin shouted. "Huh?" I said to myself finally realizing Kaochin was speaking to me. She noticed my gaze, and turned her back to me quickly. "I didn't tell you to look, I said heal me!" Kaochin shouted. "I was only complementing you, I don't see why you've got to get so bent out of shape" I said with a sigh. "You idiot! Look at my clothing!" Kaochin shouted. I studied her character; her clothing was still tattered, and torn from Terra's assault, it looked as though it could fall apart any minute. _And from the way she's got her back turned, it may have already started…_ "Gah! Oh! Right, right!" I said as I fumbled through my inventory, and used many healing potions on her. Kaochin dusted herself off as her clothing was restored with her health. "I suppose that's that" I said as I studied the area were Terra once stood. "How many more idiots are we gonna have to go through? This is getting annoying" Kaochin sighed. "Well, no use trying to guess; let's just continue" I said as I motioned towards the stairs leading down to the next floor.

"You said you were American… Correct?" Kaochin asked as we entered the 4th floor of the dungeon. "Yeah, that's right" I said as I used a fairy's orb to reveal the dungeon's layout to us. "Why are you accessing the Japanese server then?" Kaochin asked as we continued into the dungeon. "Well I live in Japan, I was just born in America" I explained. "I see…" Kaochin said to herself. "You interested in something about America?" I asked. "What!? No! I just wanted to know why you were not on their servers" Kaochin said bitterly. "Well I think the Japanese servers are better! Players defiantly get into their character more here than the America server" I said with a chuckle. "The World is just that; an entirely different world… Why wouldn't you get into your character? Real life is boring" Kaochin said with a yawn. "Haha! Yeah I agree with that, but who knows… Cultural differences and all that" I said with a dismissive wave. "I suppose there are fools all over Earth" Kaochin said with a heavy sigh. I offered a small shrug, and continued forward. "Hey Kaochin, can I ask you a question?" I asked. "What now?" Kaochin sighed aloud. "Why'd you choose Heavy Axemen?" I asked. "It's an unpopular class; it separates me from other people, not to mention it's the most powerful in terms of attack, and defense; perfect for combat" Kaochin explained. "Yeah? Wanting to stand out huh? I can understand that. I can't say Longarm is an unpopular class, but I like to think my attitude, as well as avatar separate me from the rest" I said with a wink. "The only thing that makes you stand out, is your arrogance" Kaochin said hatefully. "But I'm still standing out right?" I asked with a grin. "You are annoying…" Kaochin sighed.

Kaochin and I made our way towards the room containing the Gott Statue; we figured he'd be at the very end of the dungeon. As we entered the room before the Gott Statue; we came across a player standing on the platform in the middle of the room. I couldn't see his face, but he was clearly a Longarm; his halberd was resting on the floor. His hair was deep silver, and his clothing was so black, I had trouble telling were one garment stopped, and another began. "Great… So who are you?" Kaochin asked unenthusiastically. "Me…? I am Renox! The Destroy of Worlds!" The player shouted as he spun around, and threw his arms to his side. Kaochin looked about as unimpressed as I did; we both exchanged glances, and sighed deeply. "Not what I was expecting…" Kaochin sighed to herself. "Yeah… This guy looks like a punk" I said with a sigh. "Do not underestimate my powers" A voice from behind me shouted. Kaochin and I spun around to find Renox standing behind us. "But if he's here then…" Kaochin said to herself. "Who's that?" I asked as I pointed back towards the center of the room, where the other Renox stood. "Two of them?!" Kaochin shouted. "Is that possible!?" I shouted as I readied my weapon. "That is the power that I hold" Both Renox's said in unison. "Well… Two of them, two of us" I said as I readied my halberd. "I'll take the one ahead" Kaochin said as she readied her axe. "Don't go dying on me now" I said with a grin. "You just do your best to hold him off, I'll be over there in a moment" Kaochin said as she ran forward. I turned my attention Renox; well… One of the Renox's. "You're a Longarm too? This should be interesting!" I said with a grin. "We both may use the same weapon, but I easily outclass you. Your skills with a pole-arm are totally inferior to my own. "Oh man…" I said to myself. "You shouldn't have gone there… Because now… I can't hold back" I said with a smirk. "Enough of this foolishness, I will destroy you here, you cannot hope to beat me; The Destroyer of Worlds!" Renox shouted as charged forward. I charged forward meeting Renox head on, our blades striking each other repeatedly as we both attacked furiously. The balance of power was even, neither of us could land a hit; we each took turns trying to break past each others defenses. "You're pretty good" I said as our blades locked. "I'm surprised you've been able to hold your own, I wonder how long you can keep this up?" Renox asked. I pushed forward, and kicked his foot, knocking him off balance, Renox fell to the floor. "I could do this all day!" I shouted as I brought my halberd over my head, and started to attack the grounded Renox. Renox continued to parry my every attack, in his awkward position he wasn't able to attack me, but he was more than capable of parrying my every move. Eventually I backed off, and allowed him to stand. "You're undoubtedly skilled, but I wonder…" Renox said to himself. "Behind you!" Kaochin shouted. "I turned around just in time to see the other Renox blade fly past me, hitting me across the chest. The other Renox charged forward, and began to launch a flurry of blows; eventually both Renox's were attacking together, in a furry of attacks that I had no hope in blocking. They finished by throwing me into a nearby wall, nearly dead. "That was pretty dirty" I coughed as I tried to stand. "Do what you can to win" both Renox's said in unison. Kaochin had recovered from her paralysis, and ran over to my side. "You idiot, you need to be more aware of your surroundings" She said harshly. "Yeah… Stance says that all the time" I said as I slowly rose to my feet. "You're the one with all the potions, you can't afford to die" Kaochin added. "Yeah… I'll remember that" I said as I healed myself completely. "You are only delaying the inevitable" Both Renox's said in unison. "Their pretty tough" I admitted. "Stop complimenting them! We're supposed to be killing them" Kaochin hissed. "Alright! Let's try this again!" I said as I charged forward. "You are truly foolish" Both Renox's said as the readied their halberd to defend. I ran forward, and used my halberd to vault over them completely. "Vak Doom!" I shouted. Both Renox's still had their backs turned; I brought my halberd crashing down between them, sending them down onto the ground, I flipped my halberd over my arm, and brought it crashing down on one of the Renox's; I then turned around, and stabbed the other in the back. "You both may be good, but I know all there is to know about the Longarm class!" I taunted. "Stop taunting! Their getting back up! Get ready!" Kaochin shouted. I jumped away from the two injured players, and stood ready with Kaochin. "What should we do?" I asked. "It would be foolish for them to have the same stats; I'm sure their different… Let's split up again and try to find their weakness" Kaochin explained. "Alright… I was fighting the one on the left, so let's switch" I whispered. Kaochin and I charged forward meeting out opponents head on. The Renox I was fighting now was obviously slower than the previous one; he was not able to parry all of my attacks, but he was able to break right through my defense. _This one is tougher than the other one, and obviously slower. Kaochin may still have problems keeping up with him… But on the other hand, I can't even damage the guy; his defense is just too high… _

**Kaochin: This one's to damn fast! I can't hit him!**

**Dash: This one is slow, but I can't land a hit!**

Kaochin is obviously not geared towards speed… I think I have something here that may help us… I hastily fumbled through my inventory while still avoiding Renox's attacks. Eventually I came across a piece of armor that allowed me to cast Dek Do: A spell that lowers a target's speed. _I can at least use this to help Kaochin!_ I switched my armors and started to backpedal away from Renox. I bumped into another player, and quickly spun around.

"Dek Do!" I shouted.

"Ap Do!" Kaochin spotted

Thankfully I wasn't targeting Kaochin when I cast that spell… _Close call…_Kaochin must have had the same idea as me, as she cast a spell to increase me speed. "Thanks!" I shouted as I dashed towards Renox, and began to attack him relentlessly. With my new found speed, I was easily able to hit Renox, but his defense was still high, and I still wasn't doing enough damage, the spell would ware off eventually. "Dek do!" I shouted as I cast the same speed decreasing spell on the Renox I was fighting. "Hey! Kaochin! Trade ya!" I shouted back towards Kaochin. She kicked away a nearly dead Renox, and ran towards me. "Switch with me" Kaochin commanded as she ran by me. "With pleasure, I shouted as I dashed towards the other Renox. Kaochin had nearly killed this one, so I made quick work of him. I impaled him on my halberd, and lifted him high into the air. "This is what happens when you mess with those that are weaker than you!" I shouted as I threw him off my halberd and into the floor. As he fell down towards the ground, I had accidentally targeted him, and something caught my eye. It was his name; it was "Ren0x"… _With a zero...? That means the other one is…_ I looked back at the other Renox, who was already dead; Kaochin holding his severed head. "Ren0x… With a zero… and Renox with an O" I said to myself as the two disappeared. "What are you talking about?" Kaochin said as she made her way over to me. "They were two different people!" I said with a chuckle. "Two… You mean, they were not one in the same?" Kaochin asked. "Nope… Their names were different; one probably had his friend make a character that looked just like his." I explained. "How pathetic… And they seemed so confident when they outnumbered us" Kaochin said to herself. "Gotta give them credit though… It was a sneaky plan, had me going for awhile" I said as I ran my hand through my hair. "You should stop complimenting your enemies!" Kaochin shouted. "Give credit were credit is due" I said with a yawn. Kaochin looked me over, and turned her back to me. "I've decided not to kill you" Kaochin said. "I wasn't aware you were thinking about it… But hey, thanks" I said with a chuckle. "Don't think this changes anything! Next time we meet, we are enemies. And you tell Stance that I'm coming for him" Kaochin said as she disbanded the party. "Heh, I'll be sure to run that by him; thanks for today though, it was fun! We should do it again!" I said with a wink. "Idiot…" Kaochin sighed as she gated out of the area. _Well, I guess this was a wild goose chase after all, heh. It turns out this player killer wasn't related to Tsukasa at all, he was just a good magician is all, heh..._

"What time is it?" I asked as I lifted up my HMD, and peeked at my clock.

**3:00**

"Already!? Oh man! I had better get to bed!" I shouted as I hastily gated out of the area. I made sure to save my game, and threw my HMD off my head, not bothering to log out.

"Sleep…"

"Sleep…"

"Sleep…"


	8. Chapter 8

Merry Christmas to all those who have been following the story since chapter one, and too those who have just started reading! I wanted to release chapter nine, and eight together on Christmas, but sadly... I got behind. So I'll go ahead and release chapter eight! Enjoy your first glimpse into a darker side of Kane/Stance. As always, please inform me of any spelling, or grammar errors!

**.Hack****// ****Vision**

Chapter 8: Reason

Important events in the .hack Timeline: Guardians are starting to appear at random throughout The World

Perspective: Stance

"I will not stay here another day" I said. "And just what are you going to do? People don't just pass out like you did; there are reasons" Natsuko said. "Reasons you've failed repeatedly to find. I can't put my life on hold so you can discover the reason I passed out, as long as it does not happen again… That is all I am concerned about." I said firmly. "And what of your condition? You're barely able to walk" Natsuko said. "I know my own limits. I've a class that needs to be run, a house that needs to be taken care of, and many other duties. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check out now" I said as I pushed Natsuko aside. "Yes, what would I know? I've only been going to school half my life" Natsuko sighed to herself as I left the room.

"Such an irritating woman…" I sighed to myself as I limped down the hospitals corridors. _Since day one of my hospitalization Natsuko has been a pain in my side, I can't count how many test I've had to endure; they wanted to know the reason I had just passed out, of course I already knew the reason; but I wasn't about to tell them the truth_. I approached the receptionist, and demanded to be let go. "But Takeshi… You're still far too weak, and we've yet to diagnose the problem" The receptionist said. "I will not spend my time, wasting away in these halls. Now I suggest you discharge me; if you do not, I will walk right out those doors." I said firmly. "Alright…" The receptionist said.

I slowly made my way out of the hospital; the sun was just starting to rise. "Did the knights capture Tsukasa? Is Subaru alright…?" I asked myself as I staggered along the sidewalk. "I asked James to find out… He undoubtedly logged on last night… All the more reason to hurry to school. It was a long walk to school, I had to stop several times to rest, and luckily it was extremely early when I left the hospital, so I was able to make it to school.

"Earlier than normal…" I sighed as I entered the school building.

I clumsily made my way over to my locker, surprisingly enough, there was a student standing in front of my locker. _What is she doing? _"May I assist you?" I asked as I tried to fix my sluggish posture. "Hmm?" The female student said as she looked over at my direction. "Oh… It's just you, Takeshi" The student said as she continued to tinker with my locker. _That's __Aoi Tsukio, but what is she doing to my locker. _"What are you doing to my locker?" I asked. "This is your locker?" She asked as she adjusted her glasses. "It is" I said with a nod. "I saw someone sticking something inside; I figured it was some kind of prank, so I decided to take a look" She explained. "Did you get a good look at the vandal?" I asked. "No" She said firmly. "How uncivilized…" I said bitterly. "I don't know if you're aware Takeshi… But a lot of people don't think highly of you" She explained as she adjusted her glasses. "I'm not concerned with their feelings towards me. But if they are going to vandalize school property, I will not hesitate to take action." I said firmly. "They are cowards" She said softly. "Agreed, I must thank you for protecting my locker." I said with a bow. "Yes… Just make sure you keep an ear out for those idiots." Aoi said as she turned on her heel. "Understood." I said with a nod. "Oh…" Aoi sighed to herself. "James… He is your friend correct?" She asked. "He is" I said. "He is American… Correct?" She asked timidly. "That is correct." I said. "He is… Odd…" She said to herself. "Something that makes him unique" I said. "I suppose… Good bye, Takeshi" Aoi said as she walked off, down the hall. I turned towards my locker, and opened it quickly; inside was another anonymous love note. "Aoi must have seen the author of these notes… This is starting to become annoying" I sighed as I placed the note back into my locker. I stumbled my way towards the stairs; it was going to be difficult to walk up and down these stairs with the condition my body was in… "Complaining will not help" I sighed to myself as I pulled myself up the stairs.

I opened the door to my classroom, and stumbled inside. "What… Senpai!? What are you doing here!?" Asaoka shouted. "I have duties I must attend to" I said. "Nothing the doctors can do about what happened either; so it is pointless to stay there" I added. "But… Are you sure you're well enough to be here?" She asked. "I haven't passed out yet" I said. "Yesterday's lesson plan; give me it" I said as I sat on top a nearby desk. "Yes, Senpai" Asaoka said as she handed me a large notebook. "You two did not return to school yesterday… I expect you to have all of this make up work completed tomorrow" I said firmly. "Tomorrow? Sensei would give us at least three days" Asaoka explained with a smirk. "You missed an entire day's work, it should only take you one day to make it all up" I said firmly. "But!" Asaoka pouted. "You have no need to continue this charade; I know you have already completed it all" I said with a dismissive way. "Oh? How did you know?" Asaoka asked. "Humans are predictable; a simple judge of character can reveal a lot about someone" I explained. "So you judge people?" Asaoka asked. "Of course I do. Everyone does, I observe people; I watch their actions, their attitude. I get a feel for their character…" I explained. "Then I start to guess at how they will act" I added. "I have done it for so long, I suppose it's become second nature" I explained. "Wow… Senpai you should" Asaoka tried to say but I interrupted her. "Become a judge?" I finished her sentence. "Yeah" Asaoka giggled. "I haven't the patience to deal with so many criminals, and to be honest, sooner or later I would have to convict an innocent men… Or let a guilty person go…" I said. "You don't think you could do it?" Asaoka asked. "That's not it at all; it's not my decision to make, it's the jury's so I have no problem convicting the innocent, it is the law after all. But to be honest, sooner or later, my coconscious would get the better of me. I'd start losing sleep, and then who knows where all the guilt would take me" I explained. "But you just said…" Asaoka started. "I said I would convict an innocent man because the law required it. Of course doing that would only make me hate the person I see in the mirror…" I explained. _"Again…"_ I sighed silently to myself. "Not a judge" I said with a dismissive wave. "Well, I think you'd make a great one. You're a very fair person!" Asaoka said. "You have been pitching career ideas at me for awhile now Asaoka…" I said firmly. "Oh… Do you want me to stop?" She asked sheepishly. "No. Please continue doing so, I still haven't fully decided on what I plan on doing with my life" I sighed. "Right! Just leave the career counseling to me!" Asaoka said cheerfully. "Very well, just make sure you don't neglect your other duties. This class will not run itself, and not to mention your duties with the school tennis club" I said. "I'm just a manager" Asaoka said with a shrug. "What do you mean "just a manager" The whole club depends on you! You must work extra hard to set a good example, and work hard to lead our team to victory, do not ever belittle yourself" I said firmly. "So… Being a manager is important?" Asaoka asked. "You shouldn't ask such foolish questions. It is clearly the most important job on that team, and you should feel honored to hold such a position. People strive for equality, so I doubt anyone would admit you are superior to them, but I'll tell you right now: you are" I said with a nod. "Wow… So… Since you're the class rep… Do you think you're superior to everyone else in the class?" Asaoka asked with a giggle. "Would it be such a bad thing if I did? People may view that as arrogance… But I represent them! Shouldn't they want the best representative? I'm not saying I think I am the best… But I will admit that I try to be the best" I explained. "I see… Then I to shall try to be the best" Asaoka said with a nod. "Lead your team to victory" I said as I clenched my fist. "Yeah!" Asaoka said as she raised her fist high into the air. "Oh wait… Senpai… You have to complete yesterday's assignment too" Asaoka said. "No, I did it last night. The school administration dropped off my work at the hospital" I explained. "Oh…" Asaoka sighed. "So you've still got one day" I said with a chuckle. "I suppose I'll give James two" I added. "What!? Why does he get two days?" Asaoka shouted. "Well he does have the highest grade in class" I said bluntly. "Going up to him, and telling him to finish his work would make me look stupid, since his grade is better than mine" I explained. "Yeah… But he wouldn't say anything if you were to tell him that." Asaoka explained. "Of course he wouldn't, but then again… He doesn't know what his grade is, nor does he have any idea what mine is" I said with a chuckle. "So you're going to give him one day, right?" Asaoka asked. "He spends too much time with Hagiya, and that band of his. A little school work is good for him." I said as I struggled to my feet. "Remember Asaoka, arrogance has to be earned" I said. "Understood" Asaoka said with a giggle. "Oh, by the way… Kane, about yesterday, was that girl really your sister?" Asaoka asked. I froze for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "Asaoka, after school… Could you come over to my house?" I asked seriously. "Wha!? Your house!?" Asaoka shouted. "Yeah… It will be easier to explain there, I'll see if James can come along, that way you both can hear" I said softly. "Oh…Yeah… Alright…" Asaoka said quietly. "Class will be starting soon, let's prepare the room" I said as I stumbled around the room; cleaning it. There was an awkward silence all the way up until the bell rang; I sluggishly stood up in front of the class, as the bell rang. Students began to poor into the classroom, all of them taking their respective seat, everyone, except James, of course. I could hear the students talking about me as I took roll; I decided not to pay any attention to it, no use starting a fight… Just as the second bell was about to ring, James burst into the classroom. "Did I make it!?" He shouted. "Barely… Right on schedule" I said as I marked him present. James gave me a sly nod, obviously telling me he was happy to see me; I returned the nod quickly, and double checked the roll.

"Class… Give me your attention"

Natsuko wasn't lying, my body was still weak, and I had to fight the urge to fall asleep in class, thankfully no one had noticed my struggle. Class was dismissed for lunch; I as usual, stayed behind. "Staying behind again?" Asaoka asked. "Yeah" I sighed. Asaoka giggled, and grabbed my hand; "Hey… Come with me to the roof, ok?" Asaoka said as she tugged on my hand. "The roof is off limits, you know that" I said strictly. "Aww, but Kane…" Asaoka pouted. "But I suppose… Just this once" I said. Asaoka didn't say another word; she pulled me all the way to the top of the school building, and shut the door firmly behind her. "Kane…" Asaoka started. "Yes…?" I responded. "How… How are you feeling?" She asked nervously. "I'm fine" I said dismissively. "You're a liar" Asaoka said as she poked my cheek. "I saw you nodding off in class, not only that… You're barely able to stand aren't you? There is no way they'd let you out of the hospital like that… You forced them didn't you?" Asaoka inquired. I nodded my head wordlessly. "I thought so… It's just like you to not ask for help, you're so stubborn" Asaoka admitted. "A quality I'm proud to possess" I said. "A quality that's gonna get you in trouble" Asaoka said firmly. "You never ask for help, if you had help… Maybe Tsukasa wouldn't have knocked you out" Asaoka said to herself. "Tsukasa would have knocked someone else out if I hadn't stopped him, that's what I'm there to do, protect others." I said firmly. "I do not need protection" I added. "I knew you'd say that" Asaoka giggled. "Listen Kane… James may have already told you…" Asaoka started. "He hasn't said anything to me" I said, correcting her. "Well… It's about Subaru; she's fine" Asaoka explained. "Good." I said with a nod. "But…" Asaoka started. "I thought I had the courage to do this… But you'll just get mad…" Asaoka sighed. "Mad at what?" I asked. "I'll let Subaru explain it" Asaoka said as she shook her head. "Explain what?" I asked again. "Nothing… Don't worry about it Kane" Asaoka said as she waved her hand dismissively. _No use pressing the issue…_ I sighed to myself, and turned my attention towards the cityscape below. "Hey Kane… What did…? What did it feel like?" Asaoka timidly asked. "I assume you are talking about Tsukasa's attack. It's strange to be honest… Silver Knight complained about memory loss, but honestly… I remember it all. I cannot say what being impaled feels like… But I'm sure I felt it when Tsukasa's monster attacked. I could feel it's tentacle inside my body… Then suddenly it felt like my very mind was being ripped from my body, then it felt as though he was overloading me with something… I can't describe it… But I defiantly felt like something was being pushed into my very mind. I was able to stand from my seat, and I even remember ripping the HMD off my head, but soon after everything got blurry" I explained. "One of my neighbors heard all the commotion, he burst into my house, and found me at the bottom of the steps. Apparently I stumbled out of my room, and passed out at the top of the stairs; that would explain this horrific knot on my head" I explained. "A game… That can do all of that…" Asaoka sighed to herself. "It isn't to strange, do you remember Deadly Flash?" I asked. "Yeah… It caused people to have seizures…" Asaoka said. "And it brought death to many as well; it affected the victim's brain. Those that were lucky only suffered mild seizures; some suffered irreversible brain damage, and many unlucky few fell into a vegetative state" I explained. "Truly a horrific display of what modern technology is capable of" I added. "Yeah…" Asaoka nodded in agreement. "Tsukasa wasn't actually using Deadly Flash; I suppose I should be thankful" I said to myself. "Yeah, and you should be more careful!" Asaoka said as she playfully shoved me. "Understood, I will try to avoid this in the near future" I said playfully. "Oh you'd better! You've got responsibilities here at school, your job; and back in The World. Falling into a coma is no excuse!" Asaoka said playfully. "I understand, now… Let's get back to class before someone sees us up here" I said. "You that worried about rumors?" Asaoka asked with a grin. "We will be expelled if we are caught up here" I said seriously. "It's a pretty dumb rule, but you're right. Let's go" Asaoka said.

Asaoka and I returned to the classroom just before lunch finished, I felt better having talked to Asaoka, at least mentally… My body was still in bad shape, and I nearly fell asleep multiple times. Finally after what seemed like ages, school was finished.

"A lot of rumors going around" James said as he walked over to my desk. "I do not concern myself with gossip" I said with a grunt, as I stood from my desk. "Heh, I know that, but what I mean is; the gossip is about you. A lot of people wondering where you were yesterday, and why you're acting so sluggish today" James explained. "Let them say what they will, they will forget about it all soon enough" I said as I walked out of the classroom. "You're probably right, but I just thought I'd tell you" James said as he caught up with me. "Gossip about me is nothing new. It always passes, the students here find something new to gawk at" I said harshly. "That's high school" James said with a grin. I continued down the stairs, and paused when I saw a large crowd of students at the bottom; I recognized them all as students from my class. "I was barely able to push her out of the way, luckily the car swerved at the last second" I said loudly to James. The students below stopped their discussion and glared up at me. I continued casually down the stairs, and greeted each of the students as I passed. James ran up beside me once we were out of earshot. "Just what was all that?" he asked. "Gossip is easily molded, like clay. I wonder what kind of rumor will start now." I asked myself. "I thought you didn't care about gossip" he said. "I do not, but it is fairly entertaining to hear these rumors" I said. "So… You thrive on drama?" James asked sarcastically. "No… It's kind of like reading a book. Do you remember that one rumor, the one about me belonging to the Yakuza?" I asked. "Oh! Yeah! That was back at the beginning of school! It all started because you stood off by yourself, and had this cold look on your face" James said as he tried to imitate my cold glare. "Then everyone started making up weird stories, truth be told it was fairly entertaining" I admitted. "I remember that… There was some murder in the next town, and some students started making up those stories" James said with a chuckle. "A shame really, some of those stories were really entertaining, we have many aspiring writers here" I said with a chuckle. "I do not fully understand why people gossip; boredom would be my best guess… But let them talk about me all they want, it takes attention away from those who truly have something they wish to hide" I paused as I thought about how James would react when I told him the story about Yoko… "Wow, pretty noble of you Kane" James said with a grin. "Perhaps… But I still need your help James…" I said as I turned around and looked him dead in the eye. "Wha… With what?" James stammered. I paused until two female students were close enough to hear me, "You are my man on the inside" I said seriously. I watched the students as the passed by us; they began to whisper to themselves as they hurried down the hall. "Hey! Don't drag me down with you" James shouted. "Take one for the team, besides… I need a partner anyway" I said with a chuckle. "You've got a real twisted sense of humor" James said with a sigh. "Just thought I would try to lighten the mood" I said as I approached my locker. "You'll be coming to my house after school today; I know you do not have to work. I would just be sent home if he saw me in this condition" I explained. "To your house?" James asked. "Correct, gather your belongings, and meet me outside the main gate" I said as I closed my locker, and made my way outside.

Asaoka and I met up outside the schools main gate, we had to wait for James to show up, since after all; he was late.

"Haven't been to your house in a long time, any special occasion?" James asked as he ran up to the school's gate. "No, now let's go" I said as I pushed myself off the gate, and started walking towards home. James stopped to look at Asaoka, "Asaoka is coming too?" He asked. "Yes, now stop lagging behind" I said seriously. The walk home seemed longer, I'm pretty sure they both knew what I was planning on doing. I started to get real nervous as I approached my apartment. James and Asaoka were whispering to each other the whole way home, I didn't bother to listen, I doubt I could have anyway. I led Asaoka and James upstairs and let them into the door. _I really should thank him… I'll do it later…_ I closed the door behind me. "You'll have to excuse the mess, as you know I haven't had a chance to clean up" I apologized. Asaoka, and James's attention was centered at the foot of the stairs, where my HMD lay. "Oh…" I sighed to myself as I picked it up. "As I said before… I fell down the stairs…" I said softly as I examined my HMD. "Luckily this was not damaged" I said as I curled the cord up around the HMD. "Must have been one heck of a fall" James said trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Come" I said softly as I walked up the flight of stairs. "My room" I said as I pointed towards the open door. My room was just as I had left it, my chair was kicked over, and my keyboard was game controller was hanging off the side of my desk; my terminal's monitor was flashing a large message that read: System Error. "Tsukasa's doing?" Asaoka asked. "Undoubtedly" I said as I straightened up my desk and shutdown my terminal. "Please, sit" I said as I slid my computer chair over to Asaoka, I assumed she'd be more comfortable in the chair, than on my bed. Asaoka politely nodded, and took her seat, James on the other hand plopped down on my bed, and stretched his legs out. "So what's up?" James asked. I made my way over to my closet, and reached inside; I pulled out an old dusty newspaper. "Here" I said softly as I tossed the news paper over to James. Asaoka sat next to James and eyed the newspaper curiously. "Bottom left side of the page" I said softly

_I remember perfectly what the paper says… Word for word…_

**Police arrested a small boy that has been accused of murdering a 28 year old male. The male has been identified as Hotaka Ichiro. Hotaka was found stabbed to death in a home he had allegedly broken into, during the break in, he shot, and critically wounded a small child living in the home. A member of the family retaliated and attacked Hotaka with a pair of scissors; stabbing him multiple times in the chest, and head. Police are currently holding the 11 year old assailant, and plan to charge him for second degree murder. **

"So what...what's this all about? Wait a second, Kane...this was you...and your sister?" James asked seriously. Asaoka looked up at me and gasped. "He shot her in the chest. It really messed up her heart. Of course at the time I thought she was dead. I grabbed the nearest object… Which happened to be a pair of scissors" I explained as I hid my face from their view. "I mean...I guess...I would have done the same..." James said as he studied the paper seriously. "Kane…" Asaoka sighed. "She tried to tell me someone was in the house, but I didn't pay attention; I was such a fool." I nearly shouted. "It's alright, man...that was years ago, wasn't it?" James said, looking at the newspaper article again. "I mean...your sister is happy now, you saw her." James said with a nod. "She's stuck in that hospital waiting for a new heart." I sighed. "Of course they won't take mine! It'd be too cruel to do something like that! So they just lock her up in that hospital, and let her waste away! She has no friends, her education must be suffering, I cannot begin to fathom what her life is like" I said. "It's alright, Kane...just calm down. I'm sure your sister doesn't blame you; I mean she looked incredibly happy to see you. I don't really know what to say though...I know she'll get the heart she needs...before..." James explained, but Asaoka cut him off, urging him not to continue. "Forgive me… But it is not a subject I like to talk highly of" I said as I straightened out my shirt.

"I suppose I should have been more trusting of you two. My parents of course do not want this story being leaked out, as they worry about their own reputation" I explained. "I was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and was forced to undergo counseling for many months." I added. "Wow, I never even guessed...I- I just didn't have any idea, man." James sighed. "I've killed a fellow human, and I feel no guilt about doing so; tell me… Can you still stand to be around me knowing that?" I asked seriously. "I can, because I know you only did it for your sister's sake, Kane...I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing." James said seriously, as he patted me on the shoulder. "Kane… I understand why you would hide something like this, but you don't have to worry. Like James said… I probably would have done the same thing" Asaoka said seriously. "I understand… I shouldn't have kept it a secret. I just didn't want this story to leak out… Although I do not regret it… It is not something to boast about" I explained. "I understand of course..." James said. "Good, then you both understand; you are not to tell a soul about this" I said in my typical serious voice. "Of course, I won't tell anyone." James said as he waved his hands. "You don't have to worry about me Senpai, I won't tell a soul" Asaoka said seriously. "Very well… Have you any questions? If you plan on asking me about the incident, I would prefer you do it now" I said as I turned towards them. "No...I think I'm better off not knowing." James said seriously. "Very well" I said with a nod. "What about your sister?" Asaoka asked. "She is waiting for a heart. Despite what you may think, a working heart in a dead person is hard to come by. Until then, I shall continue to visit her" I explained. "I see… By the way, Kane, where are your parents?" Asaoka asked. "My best guess would be America, their jobs often have them overseas" I explained. "What!? Don't they know what happened to you?" Asaoka asked. "I am sure they do, but they obviously do not think it is serious enough to return" I explained. "But that's… Heartless" Asaoka stammered. "They have their own lives to live. Them being here would not comfort me much anyway" I said bluntly. "I see…" Asaoka sighed to herself. "But Kane… Can I visit your sister?" Asaoka asked cheerfully. "Visit her… Yes… She would enjoy that" I said with a nod. "Alright!" Asaoka said cheerfully. "Yeah, I think I'll do that too...it's gotta get lonely being cooped up in that hospital all the time; especially with just Kane visiting." James said with a sarcastic smirk. "You are only allowed to visit when I am with you; I do not want you corrupting my only sister" I said. James just smiled, and shook his head "Whatever you say Kane" he said with a smirk. "I believe I have said everything I wish to say. All of this aside, I want you both to focus on your duties. James, you and Hagiya have your band, not to mention you've also got a job you must focus on" I said seriously to James. "And you Asaoka; are my assistant, and I require you to be at one hundred percent, at all times. Not to mention you have duties with the tennis club, I expect you to lead our school's team to victory" I said seriously to Asaoka. "A lot is going on inside The World right now, but that is my concern, I don't know Tsukasa's fate; but I will find out when I log in tonight. You both keep sight of what's important right now." I said seriously. James nodded firmly at me, and Asaoka clenched her fist and placed it over her heart. I stood there dumbfounded by what she had done… _That is… The salute of the Crimson Knights… She must be imitating me…_ "Are you going to return the salute?" Asaoka asked with a grin. "What? Oh, of course" I said as I snapped to attention and returned the salute. "Well… I do not want to keep you all day" I said as I made my way downstairs. I opened the door, and let James, and Asaoka outside. "James, I can't say I would be of much help, but if you require assistance with your band, do not hesitate to ask me… As for your job, I expect you to do that on your own." I said seriously. "And Asaoka, if you require assistance with your management duties, then please do not hesitate to ask" I said seriously. "Heh, you got it Stance. Goodnight." James said with a wave as he walked towards the stairs. "I'll see you later Kane" Asaoka said with a smile. "Watch your back on your way home" I said seriously. "Of course, I'll keep on the streets" Asaoka said with a giggle, as she ran down the stairs. I watched Asaoka, as she left, an unpleasant feeling settled in my chest. "Good and evil are just words… Humans act naturally to different situations." I repeated the philosophy my mother had taught me before she died. "I acted naturally to that situation? Killing him was natural…?" I asked as I looked off into the sunset and hoped for a reply. "Of course I did" I said with confidence. "When a loved one is in danger, any one would be driven to murder" I said firmly. I looked off into the sunset, and thanked my mother. "I should report in with the knights" I said as I turned around, and made my way inside.

I appeared in Mac Anu, the peaceful scenery was welcoming, although I could feel that something was not right. "The guard team is gone…" I said to myself as I studied the area containing the chaos gate. I made my way down to the central part of Mac Anu, several players were crowded on the banks of the river, and many were talking on the bridge. "It seems normal enough" I said with relief. I scanned my surroundings and found a knight conversing with a player on top of the bridge. I made my way over, and listened in on his conversation. "But… He won't stop harassing me" A small female wavemaster sighed. "That isn't of my concern anymore. There's nothing we can do to help." The knight said harshly. I felt a nerve in my head snap as I listened to him. "Knight!" I shouted loudly. Everyone in the immediate area stopped their conversation and glared at me. I marched over to the knight, "What did you say to that player?" I asked. "I told her there is nothing we could do to help, we're just players" the knight said defiantly. "Just players?" I asked. "That's what Subaru said" the knight said as he pointed towards the docks. "Lady Subaru is our leader, you will show her respect" I said coldly. "Some leader she is" the knight said harshly. I threw my hand forward, and grabbed his neck before he could continue. "Perhaps you should reconsider your selection in guilds" I said as I choked the knight. Since we were in a root town, I wasn't causing any superficial damage; his character was just bound by my grip, since he didn't posses the strength to break free. "The Crimson Knights have always been players, nothing more" I said as the knight fell to his knees. "We are not administrators, nor will we ever be" I said coldly. The knight had his hands wrapped around mine, trying to break free. "Do I make myself clear?" I asked as I tightened my grip around his neck. The knight tried to speak, but only coughed instead. "I find your lack of competence disturbing" I said as I loosened my grip. "W-Whatever! I understand! Ju- Just let me go!" The knight gasped. I let go of his neck, and he fell to the floor gasping for air. "What kind of knight are you!?" the knight shouted. "A fiercely loyal one" I said coldly as I clenched my fist. "You're crazy!" the knight shouted. "You would do well to remember where your loyalties lye" I said. "I pray that you find a solution to this player's problem. I cannot promise you a future in the knights if you do not" I said as I continued across the bridge. Players looked at me with shock and awe as I made my way past them. "I've never gotten angry like that…" I said to myself as I crossed the bridge. "I would do well to watch my behavior when in public, although I find it increasingly difficult to restrain myself when surrounded by such fools" I said to myself. "For Subaru's sake..." I said as I neared the docks

I was getting anxious to see Lady Subaru, and the anxiety only worsened when I had noticed she was online. As I entered the docks, I could feel Silver Knights cold gaze "Stance…" he said to himself. "Where is Lady Subaru?" I asked. "Subaru? Oh… That's right. You don't know do you?" Silver Knight asked with a grin. "What?" I asked. "She's over there, on her boat. You should talk to her, you will like what she has to say" Silver Knight said with a grin. I pushed past Silver Knight, and marched towards Subaru's docked vessel. I kneeled down before her "M'lady" I announced my presence. Subaru turned towards me, and let out a sigh of relief. "Stance… Come forward" She commanded. I stood up straight and marched forward onto her gondola. I stood at attention, and focused my gaze directly into her eyes. The boat shook as it began to travel down the rivers of Mac Anu. "Stance, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me" Subaru suddenly spoke up. "Nonsense, it is my du-" I said seriously. "No" Subaru said sharply. "Putting your character at risk is one thing… But I cannot allow you to put your real life self in danger" Subaru said sharply. "With all do respect, M'lady… I took an oath to protect all players of The World; we Crimson Knights are players as well. Although we have organized ourselves into a guild; we are still only players" I said seriously. "Are we…?" Subaru timidly asked as she turned her back to me. "That is how you explained the knights to me long ago" I said. "Stance… Please forgive me…" Subaru whispered to herself. She slowly turned around, her face riddled with sadness. "I let Tsukasa go" Subaru timidly admitted. I felt my heart stop momentarily, but I kept calm. "May I ask why, M'lady…?" I asked, trying to mask my anger. "I… I do not think we should blame him for his actions…" Subaru timidly said. "Why shouldn't we…?" I asked as I cast my gaze downward. "Your friend… Did he not show you…?" Subaru asked. "My friend…?" I asked. "Dash… I gave him something to show you" Subaru explained. "No… He did not show me anything… One moment please…" I said to Subaru. I lifted my HMD off my head, and picked up my cell phone. "What's up Kane?" James asked as he answered his phone. "Did you forget to give me something today?" I asked. "Forget… Oh! Yeah! I totally forgot!" James said as he laughed to himself. "Subaru gave me something…Ah… Here it is" James said. "It's Tsukasa's access logs, she told me to give them to you, but I guess I left them at home" James laughed. "Why did she give them to you? Is their anything significant about them?" I asked. "Well… It all seems normal enough until this entry point… According to the logs, Tsukasa has been logged on for two weeks straight" James said. "Two weeks…? I don't get it… So he left his character logged in…?" I asked. "Who knows" James said. "Thanks James" I said before I hung up. I dropped my phone back down on my desk, and slid my HMD back over my head. "What is the significance of that access log, M'lady?" I asked. "You've seen it then?" Subaru asked. "Two weeks straight… But I do not understand why that would influence you to let him go" I said. "I don't believe Tsukasa is playing a game" Subaru said. "M'lady, I do not understand" I said as I shook my head. "The player Tsukasa… I don't think he is… I don't think he is in front of a terminal" Subaru said firmly. "That does not make any sense how would he acc-" I stopped myself as I thought about what Subaru said. "You are saying… He is… "Inside" The World?" I asked seriously. "I believe so" Subaru said. "If that is true… I think I can understand his actions" I said seriously. "You believe me?" Subaru asked. "He was able to effect my real life self from inside a game, although I'm not entirely convinced, I will not discount the possibility. And I know that you have no reason to lie; nothing to gain" I said seriously. Subaru smiled, and nodded at me. "You let him go, out of sympathy?" I asked. "Yes… He has promised not to use his creature against any other players, so long as we do not bother him" Subaru said. "Then the situation is resolved?" I asked. "Not quite… I haven't told the knights the reason I let him go…" Subaru sighed. "I see… I doubt they would believe you M'lady" I said. "So they think that I just let him go for no reason… On top of that, many players were injured in Silver Knights unauthorized raid… They think that I'm neglecting the well being of the knights…" Subaru sighed. "The knights have grown treacherous; this is not something new… Do not blame yourself M'lady" I said trying to comfort her. "You may be right… But now there are knights openly disrespecting players, and even their commanders." Subaru sighed to herself. "They must be dealt with, M'lady" I said seriously. "You are correct; the image of the knights has already been tarnished enough." Subaru said firmly. "I await your orders" I said as I kneeled before her. "Stance, I've received very disturbing reports from the captains of squad's five, and eight" Subaru explained. "I will assist in any way possible" I said with a nod. "Many knights have begun to ignore the orders of their commanders, and some have even gone as far as to form small groups…" Subaru explained. "What you are saying… Is there is a rebellion taking place within the knights?" I asked. "Yes… If they no longer agree with the way I lead, they are free to quit, but I will not have members of this guild ignore my commands" Subaru said sternly. "Stance, I'm promoting you to captain of squad 1, additionally I'm giving you administrative rights… I want you to find these players; they will either follow my commands, or leave the group. If they refuse to leave… Then kick them out of the guild" Subaru commanded. "M'lady, you are aware of… My methods, correct?" I asked. "I need someone efficient, and loyal. That is why I chose you" Subaru said seriously. "I will not fail you" I said as I saluted her. "But… Are you sure about leaving Tsukasa alone?" I asked before she could speak. "I actually regret the decision…" Subaru sighed as she dropped her shoulders, and lowered her axe. "Why is that M'lady?" I asked. "Shortly after I released him, I received a message from the leader of the Cobalt Knights" Subaru said seriously. "The Cobalt Knights…" I gasped as I looked around the area, making sure no one was listening. "Although I've told no one else this… The cobalt knights have taken charge of the investigation" Subaru explained. "The administration chooses now to act?" I asked harshly. "There is nothing I could do, they warned me to keep all knights as far away from Tsukasa as possible" Subaru explained. "The Cobalt Knights… To think I even considered joining them…" Subaru sighed to herself. "You wanted to remain a player, and I choose to remain your knight, in the end… We both wanted to be ordinary players, nothing more." I said trying to lift her spirits. "But… With the Cobalt Knights hunting him, won't Tsukasa resort to violence against players?" I asked seriously. "I'm aware of that… That is why… I am going to seek him out" Subaru explained. "I understand… I will find this rebellion, and crush it before it becomes a problem. But M'lady, please be careful… With the Cobalt Knights involved, you stand more to lose than your character" I said seriously. "I understand the risk. Stance… Thank you for all your help, I will dismiss you now" Subaru said with a smile. "As you wish M'lady" I said with a salute. I jumped off her boat, landing on the bank of the river, near the weapon shop. "I don't know what's going on… But I have my orders, that's all I need for now, regardless of what I believe, Lady Subaru has her reasons… Tsukasa is to be left alone." I said as I checked through the newly opened "guild administration" menu. _Lady Subaru has given me administration rights over the Crimson Knights…_ "I will find these rebels, and crush them" I said as I slammed my fist together.

I switched over to guild chat

**Stance: Attention all Crimson Knights belonging to Squad one, you are to report to the following area immediately** **Θ Rejecting Oblivious Wave Master. Those that are online, but fail to show up will be removed entirely from the Crimson Knights, and will be bared from re-entry. I am your commander now.**

I started towards the chaos gate, but stopped when a familiar player hailed me from across the bridge. It was Dash, as I neared I noticed four other players standing with him; I recognized these players as the ones who I found defeated by Tsukasa. "Hey Stance! Come here!" Dash beckoned me towards his group. "Something I can assist you with?" I asked to Dash. "That's my friend Stance, he's the one who came and saved me that night" James explained to his five friends in English. _I've rarely ever heard James speak English… That's actually pretty polite… _His five female friends huddled around James, and started to whisper. Just when I thought about leaving, Dash turned back to me, "They just want to say thank you for… Well ya know…" Dash said. The red haired female stepped forward. "You'd better not misinterpret me, Joker!" The red haired female shouted to Dash. "He does not need to interpret for you, I am capable of speaking, and understanding English" I said in English. James spun around at me, his eyes wide with shock. "You speak English! Why didn't you tell me?" Dash shouted. "You never asked, it's not too uncommon, infact most students take English classes at school, were you not aware?" I asked in English. "No… I normally have that period off, that's when I take my naps!" Dash boasted. "Of course" I said as I rolled my eyes. The red haired female walked up to me, and smiled. "So you speak English then? Well that's great!" She said as she slapped me across the shoulder, nearly knocking me to the floor. "Ah… Yes… My name is Stance, it is an honor to meet you, Miss…?" I said as I regained my posture. "Don't be so uptight! You can call me Spade!" She said happily as she draped her arm around my neck, and gave me a nuggie. I struggled against her, and finally freed myself. "Ah… Yes… Well, it is an honor to meet you, Miss Spade." I said with a bow. Dash was laughing at my obvious embarrassment. _Gah… Are they all like this? _ "Just Spade" Spade said cheerfully. "Very well, an honor, Spade" I said, stopping myself from bowing. The blue haired player shouldered her halberd, and stepped forward. "Hello Stance. You may address me as Club, it is a pleasure to meet you" She said politely. _This one is much more polite_…"Yes, it is an honor to meet you as well, Club" I said with a deep bow. "I have seen others that look like you. Is that the current trend in your country?" She asked politely. "He's a Crimson Knight" Dash explained. "Crimson Knight…? What is their purpose?" Club asked curiously. "They're pretty much police, fight against PKers, safe guard players, things like that" Dash explained as he yawned. "I see." Club said as she stepped back towards the other females. I stood there, awaiting the next female to introduce herself, but neither of the remaining two came forward. "Oh come on, don't be shy Diamond" Dash said as he grabbed the blonde haired female's hand, and drug her forward. She cried out with resistance, and nearly tripped over into me. "Uhh… I'm… I'm Diamond… Thanks for… What you did" Diamond said timidly. "It was my duty, thanks are not necessary. But it is an honor to meet you Diamond" I said with a bow. She didn't bother to acknowledge me, and instead she spun around and returned to the other females. The final female stepped forward, only to stumble and fall down onto the ground below. "Are you alright?" I asked worriedly. "How typical" Spade sighed aloud. "Saw that one coming" Dash said with a chuckle. The pink haired female stood up, laughing at her mistake. "Hiya! You can call me Heart! It's nice to meet ya!" Heart said cheerfully as she held her hand out. Her upbeat attitude caught me off guard; all I could do was stare at her hand, which was inching closer to me. "Hand Shake" Dash whispered to me. "Oh… Yes, of course" I said as I grasped her hand, and shook it. "You're a knight huh?" She asked merrily as she shook my hand. "Yes, I am a Crimson Knight" I said trying to withdraw my hand. "You look so cool in that armor… Oh how I wish Joker was a knight, he would look so good in armor…" Heart sighed to herself as she still shook my hand. "It would be perfect! He could save me from a bunch of villains! Riding on a noble Grunty, and shouting: Leave my fair maiden alone!" Heart said to herself as she began to droll. _She's still shaking my hand…_ I looked towards Dash who just shrugged, "Sounds like she should hang out with you, Stance" He said with a chuckle. "He'd look a little weird since he doesn't cut his hair, but it'd be so romantic…" Heart sighed to herself as she continued to shake my hand. I stood there listening to her fantasy for nearly ten minutes before she realized what she was doing, and apologized to me.

"You are all Dash's friends?" I asked. "Yep! We all know him in reality" Spade said as she elbowed Dash. "I see, well… I happen to be friends with Dash in reality as well" I explained. "Oh yeah? You been taking care of him?" Spade asked. "It's Joker were talking about, if anything he's been nothing but an annoyance to him" Diamond said harshly. "Hey, come on now!" Dash cried. "He can be somewhat troublesome, but I suppose that is what makes Dash, Dash." I said with a chuckle. "Really? He's was a real pain back home, we all had to watch over him, and keep him out of trouble" Spade said. "Hey! That's not true!" Dash shouted. "Shut up Joker!" Spade shouted. "Yes" Dash sighed as he turned away from us. "Joker… A nickname?" I asked Spade. "His older character back in the American server" Club said. "Looks a lot like his character now, don't see why he'd change his name" Heart said. "Just thought it was time for something new" Dash said with a shrug. "I see… Spade, Diamond, Club, Heart, and Joker… Playing cards?" I asked. "Yep! That's us!" Spade said cheerfully. So back in America, Dash was… Joker?" I asked. "Yeah, we were all part of a guild I had created" Dash explained. "You? In a guild?" I asked with a chuckle. "Yep, Royal Flush!" Dash said as he gestured towards the four females. "And these were the members, I see… How fitting" I said with a nod. "Yep, and we're making a comeback in the Japanese server!" Spade declared. "Wait!? Really!?" Dash shouted in surprise. "It's to dangerous for you Joker, we've gotta watch your back, especially after that hunt you organized ended like that! We passed out in reality!" Spade declared. "Yes… That hunt… That **you** organized…" I shot Dash a cold stare. "We'll just have to hunt him down again, and this time we'll kick his butt" Spade said with a shrug. "That will not be necessary; the situation has already been contained, Tsukasa has been dealt with" I said as I shot another cold glare at Dash. "Yeah… The knights got him, so it's all good" Dash said as he nodded towards me. "Oh… Well that's good. Whatever they do to him, he deserves worse!" Spade declared. "Yes, well if you ladies will excuse me, I've an important meeting with the Crimson Knights, I must bid you farewell" I said with a bow. "Don't work to hard, or you'll stress yourself out!" Spade said as she slapped my shoulder. "It was nice to meet you Stance, I hope to meet you again" Club said with a bow. "Bye…" Diamond said under her breath. "See ya! Hey Joker, you should become a knight too!" Heart shouted. "An odd bunch…" I said under my breath. "Oh, Stance!" Spade shouted to me. "Yes?" I turned around. "Good luck finding the bath room!" Spade shouted in Japanese. Everyone stopped and stared at her when they heard this, some players began to whisper, and some began to laugh. Dash started to back away from the group, as the other players began to stare. "Her Japanese is horrible, please forgive her" Club explained in Japanese. "Oh… Well… Good luck to you as well" I said with a nod as I hurried towards the chaos gate.

As I neared the chaos gate, I noticed an unfamiliar sight: A female Crimson Knight, I approached her and tapped her on her shoulder. "Knight, what squad are you with?" I asked seriously. "Huh?" She gasped as she turned towards me. "Oh! Captain Stance! Congratulations on your promotion!" The knight said as she knelt before me. "My promotion… What squad have you been assigned too knight?" I asked again. "Ah… Yes, Lady Subaru told me I should report to you for my assignment. I saw your message in the guild chat so I decided to wait for you here" She said politely. "Report to me? Very well, you picked one heck of a time to join, I hope for your sake you are a loyal knight" I said seriously. "Don't worry Senpai, I'll follow your orders no matter what!" the female knight said as she saluted me. "Very good, now then, we sh-" I stopped myself as my brain had processed what the female knight had said. "Naito!?" I shouted in surprise. "Yes captain?" Naito asked politely. "What are you doing wearing that? This is no time for games" I said seriously. "I joined the Crimson Knights Stance, this is the standard issue female armor" Naito said. "You… You joined the knights…?" I asked in disbelief. "Yep, I decided I'd give you a hand, and from the looks of things, you need it" Naito said seriously. "Yes but… That armor…" I said as I pointed towards Naito. She was wearing the Crim designed armor for females; it was comprised of a fairly revealing breast plate, and a very unnecessary mini skirt. "What..? I think it's kind of cute, although it doesn't leave much for the imagination does it?" Naito said as she blushed. "Crim… You idiot…" I sighed to myself as I studied my armor. "Senpai… Please stop starring at me" Naito said bashfully. "Let's go, I've kept this squad waiting long enough" I said hastily as I added Naito into my party.

Naito and I warped into the area, and were confronted by a mass formation of knights. The former commander of squad one ran up to me, and saluted me. "Welcome, captain Stance. This is… rather unexpected… But rest assured we are honored by your presence" the former captain was obviously angry about his demotion. "You may dispense with the pleasantries, knight. This squad is now under my command. Now I want a report; how has the squad been functioning as of late?" I said sternly. "Morale has been an issue as of late" the knight admitted. "Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them" I said coldly. "But I can assure you, these knights are as loyal as they come" he said cheerfully. I stoped my march, and held my finger up to his face, "I do not share your optimistic appraisal." I said harshly. "But… This is preposterous; you just waltz in here, and take command like this! Who gave you the right?" the knight nearly shouts. "Lady Subaru" I said. "What? Lady Subaru did?" his eyes wide with shock. "That is correct, and she is most displeased with the way you have run this squad" I said seriously. "But… Please! Forgive me!" he shouted. "Unfortunately, I am not as forgiving as she is, your time as a knight is now over" I said coldly as I opened the administrative menu, and booted him from the guild. "Wait! Please!" he pleaded. "Your services are no longer required" I said as I waved my hand dismissively towards the former knight. "Come, Naito" I said. I approached the mass formation of knights; another knight marched up to me, and saluted me. "Sir! I am Lieutenant Teruko second in command of this squad, it will be an honor to serve under you" he said. "Have you assembled a list of those who have not shown up?" I asked firmly. "Ah, yes sir, I had expected you would want that, so I went ahead and compiled a list" He explained as he sent me a flash mail containing the list of knights who were present. "Naito, review this list please" I said as I forwarded the list to her. "Yes sir" She said with a nod. I waited; Naito ran through both platoons, checking each knight to make sure the list was correct. She returned to me with a frightened look on her face. "Sir, this list is incorrect, there are knights that are marked absent, but are clearly here. There are also missing knights with no excuses that are marked present" Naito explained. "Lieutenant." I sneered as I studied the squad. "Ah… Yes sir?" He asked as he positioned himself in front of me. "Sir! Please! I'm sorry, I didn't mea-" I shoved my fist into his throat before he could finish. "Do you take me for a fool?" I asked as I began to choke him. "This squad has failed Lady Subaru for the last time…" I said as I watched Lieutenant Teruko, struggle, his health slowly depleting. "Private Naito!" I shouted. "Yes, my commander?" Naito asked timidly. "That list holds the names of traitors in this squad, compile all the traitors names' together, anyone that is marked present, but is not actually here is a traitor. You are my second in command now, **Lieutenant** Naito" I said firmly. "Thank you commander Stance" Naito said with a bow. I held my grip firm on Teruko, his health slowly depleting under my grip. Suddenly a knight stood forward, and drew his weapon, "Alright that's enough, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just come into our squad and do that! I don't care what Subaru says!" He shouted loudly as he raised his weapon. "Perhaps you think you are being treated unfairly?" I asked rhetorically. "Damn right!" He said as he charged forward. Naito drew her weapon, and blocked his attack easily. Many other knights broke rank, and drew their weapons. "And now all the traitors have been identified" I said as I threw the dead Teruko to the floor. I stood next to Naito, and slowly drew my weapon "There is no escape, surrender now, and your characters will walk away; unarmed." I said as I drew my blade. "You'll be the one begging to escape. You have no pride as a knight! By following Subaru you support her foolish decisions!" one of the rogue knights shouted as he joined the others. Twelve knights stood with their weapons drawn, more than half the squad. "Unwise" I sneered as I charged forward, and drove my blade straight up into a knight, killing him instantly. "Ani Crack!" I shouted, as I jumped into the air, and brought my blade driving down into the ground below, the force of the blow sent the group down to the floor. I drove my blade hard down into the chest of a fallen knight; killing him. I jumped backwards, and repositioned myself with Naito. "The squad is divided" I said. "I'll stand with you, Senpai" Naito said as she readied her sword. "Cover me, Naito" I said as I slowly approached the group of rogue knights. One of them jumped forward, I parried his attack, and counter attacked by shoving my blade right through his chest, "You lack form" I said as I spun my body around, sending the dead knight off my blade. "There is no hope for you traitors, if you continue to attack you will only be destroyed" I said firmly. "Shut up!" one of the knights yelled as he charged forward. Naito ran forward cutting him off before he could reach me, "If respect has to be forced… Then so be it!" She shouted as she began an onslaught of attacks against the rogue knight. "This squad is poorly trained, its knights are weak." I taunted the remaining knights. "I'll show you" one of the rogues shouted as he charged forward. He waved his sword wildly through the air; I easily reached forward, and grabbed his face. I brought my knee forward, and kicked him hard in his stomach, he fell forward, and I drove the hilt of my blade down into his back, as he struggled to stand. I finished him off by driving my sword down into his back, killing him.

Naito disarmed her opponent, and unleashed a barrage of attacks on his defenseless body, killing him. I ran forward into the group of knights, I grabbed one of them by the neck, and punched him in the stomach using the hilt of my sword; as he bent forward in pain I shoved my sword through his gut, and drove it up, splitting his chest, and head. The other knights started to understand they couldn't beat me by themselves, so they began to attack as a group, and I was forced to defend myself from their barrage of attacks. "Only after half of you are defeated do you start to understand the truth, even if you were able to defeat me, you would still be kicked out of the guild, it was pointless from the beginning" I taunted as I struggled to parry all their attacks. The remaining five knights were focused on me, and didn't notice Naito behind them. Naito grabbed one of the rogues by the helmet, and punched him hard in the back of the skull. She followed up by kicking the back of his knee, and forcing him to kneel; she skillfully shoved her sword through his chest, killing him. The knights scattered when the realized they were surrounded. "Routed so easily, how typical" I said as I grabbed one of the fleeing knights, and threw him to the floor, I slashed at his neck, decapitating him. "What should we do?" Naito asked. "I have yet to collect all their names, go Naito, do whatever you must to collect their names" I said as I sheathed my sword. "Yes Senpai!" Naito said as she chased after the fleeing knights. "You knights follow her; assist her in retrieving their names." I said coldly. "Yes sir!" the senior ranked knight shouted as he unsheathed his blade, and followed Naito. I turned away from the battle, and opened the administration menu, using the combat log; I removed the rogue knights one by one.

"Squad 1 has been purged of it rebels, but I shouldn't lower my guard yet, I may still have traitors in my squad" I said to myself as I studied the area. "The other squads will not be so easily purged… All new recruits are assigned to squad one… Normally they are all low level… It was easy, but not a victory to boast about. Things are only going to get harder from here on." I sighed to myself. "Senpai" Naito said as she approached me from behind. "Lieutenant Naito?" I said as I turned towards her. I gazed at the remaining members of Squad 1, all five of them snapped to attention the moment my gaze met theirs. "Leave us" I said to the remaining knights. "As you wish, sir" The senior ranking knight said with a salute, with that each one of them gated out of the area. "Senpai… Don't you think all that was a little… Much?" Naito asked. "Perhaps… But I've been tasked with finding these traitors, I've got to be hard on everyone, those that are truly loyal, will respect my authority" I explained. "Yeah… I guess your right" Naito sighed. "I'm hard on the knights because I care for them, and I want them to succeed, just like I'm hard on my friends" I explained. "You're no where near as hard on me" Naito said with a giggle. "That is because you can be trusted" I said. "You trust me?" Naito asked. "Of course I do" I said as I turned my back to her trying to hide my blushing face. "I may have been hard on this squad, but now I have five loyal knights that are ready to serve Lady Subaru. I would rather have five extremely loyal knights, than seventeen knights that lack loyalty" I explained. "Quality, over quantity" Naito said. "Exactly" I said with a nod. Naito and I stood there in silence, the sun was starting to set, and the field had an eerie feel to it. "Hey, Asaoka" I said, making sure to use her real name. "Hm? What's up Kane?" She responded using my real name. "I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you this, but while I was in the hospital I came to a decision… The Student Council elections are approaching" I explained. "You're thinking of running this time?" Asaoka asked with a grin. "I chose to run as a class representative for two reasons; I wanted to make sure I had what it takes… A test for myself, if you will…" I explained. "And the other?" Asaoka asked. "I needed a vice president" I said as I turned to meet her gaze. "Are you asking me to be your vice president?" Asaoka asked. "I am" I said with a firm nod. "Are you going to treat the council like you treated your squad today?" Asaoka asked with a grin. "I do not think the council will rebel against me, after all I have the student's best interest in mind" I said confidently. "You're running straight for president? That's pretty bold considering you've never served on the council before" Asaoka said with a chuckle. "You are surprised?" I asked seriously. "Not at all" Asaoka admitted with a smile. "It'll be tough, normally the seat of president is held by a senior" Asaoka said. "I think it's time for change" I said seriously. "Is that what our platform will be based upon?" Asaoka asked. "Our platform? Does that mean you will run with me?" I asked seriously. "Of course I'm running with you, I can't let you do something like this alone" Asaoka said with a grin. "I can't thank you enough" I said with a bow. "No need to thank me" Asaoka said with a dismissive wave. "We shall win this election" I said confidently. "We should start planning soon" Asaoka said. "You are right, but for now… I want you in bed" I said seriously. "You want what!?" Asaoka shouted out. "Do not twist my words, you know what I meant. I want you to sleep, that is an order" I said seriously. "Your no fun, I was only joking" Asaoka pouted. "And you are too bold in your attempts at flirting, now do not make me repeat myself" I said with a grin. "Yes sir" Asaoka said with a sarcastic sigh. Asaoka waved at me as she gated out of the area. I turned away, and looked off into the setting sun. "That outfit… Is far to revealing…" I sighed to myself as I gated out of the area.

"Stance!" Silver Knight shouted immediately as I entered Mac Anu. "Silver Knight?" I crossed my arms as he approached. "What are you thinking? I heard about everything. You must have lost your mind when Tsukasa knocked you out" He said. "I am only following orders" I said seriously. "You booted a commander from the guild without authorization from the other captains, not only that, you attacked, and killed knights in your own squad!" Silver Knight shouted. "They are no longer knights" I said correcting him. "You can't just kick them out of the guild on a suspicion" Silver Knight shouted. "Their leader was clearly a traitor, I did what had to be done" I said as I pointed my finger towards Silver Knight. "And what of the others?!" He shouted. "The other rebels rushed in to save their traitorous commander" I said. "And on top of that, I find that those I have removed from the guild, have clearly run to you for help, rather than Lady Subaru" I said menacingly. "They came to someone that could help them, unfortunately they've been blacklisted" Silver Knight spat. "And only Lady Subaru can approve them for reentry" I added. "Your style of leadership is foolish" Silver Knight sneered. "But it is far more useful than your indolent ways." I said as I stepped around him. "Stance… What happened to you? You used to be my most loyal knight" Silver Knight said. "I was never your knight. Lady Subaru is my mistress" I said harshly. "I will be on the look out for traitors in other squads, for your sake commander, I pray I do not find any that belong to squad nine" I said coldly. I left Silver Knight before he could respond. _Silver Knight has changed… He is no longer the man I once knew_

_He may even be… A traitor…_

I boarded Lady Subaru's gondola as it neared the docks. "M'lady" I said as I knelt before her. "Stance…" She said as she turned her back to me. "I have taken command of squad one, and I have cast out the traitors that occupied it" I explained. "So I heard…" Subaru said. "I thought I would be prepared for this… But your methods have still shocked me" Subaru sighed deeply. "I did what I had to do. It is unfortunate that I had to act in such a harsh manner, but in doing so, I have cleared squad one of traitors" I explained. "Yes… But still…" Subaru sighed to herself. "The knights should have been expecting this. Betrayal is a harsh crime that should be met with nothing short of expulsion" I added. "But if word gets out about your actions" Subaru sighed. "This is an internal affair, knights that leak the story out of the guild are clearly traitors, and will be dealt with as such" I said. "A knight that is no longer loyal to you M'lady is an enemy, and a hindrance to the rest of the knights, removing them is the quickest solution, but many retaliate in violence" I added. "But that's just it Stance… I was told that you were the instigator…" Subaru said sadly. "I did attack the former lieutenant, but only because I branded him as a traitor. With his position in the squad, he obviously held some form of command over the traitors. The list he provided me only gave away traitors that were not present. My actions caused the other traitors to come forth" I explained. "I see… But Stance you have to understand, you cannot be so violent with the knights, at least not unwarranted." Subaru explained. "I understand M'lady, I will try and restrain myself" I said sincerely. "Good…" Subaru heaved a sigh of relief. "You are dismissed Stance" She said as she turned away from me. "As you wish, M'lady" I said before I leapt from her gondola, back onto the walkways of Mac Anu.

I made my way towards the chaos gate, and inputted the coordinates:** Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground**

"The never changing cathedral" I said to myself as I entered the area. I made my way towards the large doors of the cathedral, and slowly pushed them open. _I often do my best thinking here, it's no wonder I find myself coming back here often… _

_That dream… That dream I had while I was in the hospital…_

_I entered the cathedral, and gazed at its wondrous beauty, "Why am I here…?" I asked myself. A player jumped at my comment, and turned to face me. "Who's there!?" She shouted. I had to squint hard to see her, she wore a dark blue dress that made her meld into the shadows quite well, her white hair being the only part of her body that really stood out. "Forgive me, I wasn't aware another player was here" I said apologetically. The player did not so much as look at me before she drew her axe, and dashed forward. Her axe slammed into me hard, knocking me backwards into the wall. I grunted as I tried to stand, only to be silenced by the player's axe being shoved into my gut. "I was looking to blow off some steam" The female player grunted. I reached for my weapon, and batted her axe away. "Hold on! Just what are you doing!?" I shouted as I struggled to my feet. "Killing you" She said coldly. She charged forward, and brought her axe crashing down next to me. Damn she's fast! I stepped backwards, trying to gain some distance between us. "Stop your attack, I do not wish to fight!" I said, trying to reason with her. "A shame" She sighed as she bolted forward, shoving the butt of her axe into my stomach. I cried out, and knelt forward in pain. The player sighed to herself as she brought her axe upwards, into my chest, her attack so strong it killed me instantly, and sent me soaring through the air. _

"_I don't feel any better… What a waste" The female sighed as she exited the cathedral._

_I lay there dead, waiting to disappear, when my abdomen starting to ache, I tried to cry out, but my voice was silenced. What's happening to me…? I can't move…I struggled hard against an invisible force, but my body refused to move; the pain in my abdomen slowly started to spread. Soon my whole body was aching, as I lay there in the middle of the cathedral. I tried desperately to open my mouth, but it simply refused. As I lay there writing in agony, something shot forth from my abdomen, it was a large tentacle, various other tentacles soon shot forth from my body, I tried desperately to move, but the only thing that emerged from my mouth was another tentacle. Soon the tentacles wrapped around me…_

"Who was that player?" I asked myself as I scanned cathedral. "Better yet, what was that coming out of my body?" I asked seriously. "What was what coming out of your body?" A voice echoed from behind me. "Who's there?" I asked as I drew my weapon, and turned to face the player. "Whoa, calm down!" Kasey said as she held her hands up to show she was unarmed. "It is only you" I sighed with relief. "What do you mean, "It's only you?" Kasey asked as she sighed. "Calm down, I meant no disrespect" I said seriously. "So what's up?" Kasey asked as she skipped over to me. "I haven't seen you around lately…" I muttered. "I could say the same too you" Kasey said. "I have duties a must take care of" I said. "Like finding Tsukasa?" Kasey asked. "No, that situation has been taken care of" I said seriously. "Really? How many knights did it take?" Kasey sarcastically asked. "A little over thirty" I said seriously. "What? That many?" Kasey asked, obviously shocked by my answer. "How many did he… Ya know…" Kasey asked curiously. "One" I said coldly. "Not too bad, it could have been worse" Kasey said as she stretched. "I suppose you are right" I said with a nod. "So now that Tsukasa is out of the way, what'cha been up to?" Kasey asked as she leaned on the railing. "I was promoted, and given leadership of a squad" I explained. "Promoted? What for? Sucking up?" Kasey asked as she playfully elbowed me. "She probably promoted me for my actions against Tsukasa" I explained. _Although she may just feel sorry for me…_ "So you're the one that got him huh?" Kasey asked with a grin. "Not exactly" I said with a sigh. "Well whatever you did I'm sure it was worthy of a promotion" Kasey said as she slapped my back. "Well Stance, it was good seeing you again, we'll have to go out and adventure sometime, and hopefully we won't be enemies!" Kasey said as she cart wheeled towards the exit. "Yes… Hopefully we shall be allies" I said as I watched her exit the cathedral. "Strange girl…" I sighed to myself as I turned back towards the altar.

"I suppose for now… I will let Subaru deal with Tsukasa… Not much I can do anyway…" I sighed as I came to that realization. "I am obviously holding a grudge… How uncouth…" I sighed to myself. "But for now, I'll deal with the traitors. That is my mission now. Nothing else matters." I said trying to psyche myself up.

"I will find them all!" I said with confidence.


	9. Chapter 9

Longest chapter to date, hurray! Although this chapter isn't really the most uplifting of them all... Anyways, as always alert me to any mistakes, in spelling or grammar. I try my best to catch that before I upload, but sometimes I over look something. Hope you all enjoy .Hack//Vision chapter 9

**.Hack****//**** Vision**

Chapter 9: Promise

Important events in the .hack Timeline: Interest about the Key of The Twilight is building.

Perspective: Stance/Asaoka

I heaved a heavy sigh as I reflected on last night's events. "I have to be hard and ruthless…" I said, comforting myself. "I may have taken my anger out on the knights though… Although they deserved it" I confessed sadly. "Why are the knights rebelling…? Subaru's decision; obviously, but still… There has to be more." I pondered to myself as I entered the school. "Subaru created the knights. She makes the decisions… Anyone that disagrees should quit, and if they choose to disobey Subaru's decision then I will handle them. It is that easy" I said with a nod. I opened my locker, and gathered my school supplies; my body feeling much better than it did yesterday; although my throat was still a little sore, it was easily bearable. I made my way upstairs, and entered the classroom.

"Good morning, Senpai" Asaoka greeted me, cheerfully. "Good morning, Asaoka" I said as I placed my supplies on my desk. "You decide on your platform?" Asaoka asked. "Your input is required, but I did compile a list." I said with a nod. "Shall we review it during lunch?" Asaoka asked. "If you are free, that would be convenient" I said with a nod. "During lunch then" Asaoka said with a nod. Asaoka and I began our morning duties, when she turned to me "Hey Kane, about the Crimson Knights…" She said. "Yes?" I replied. "Do you know where they got their name?" Asaoka asked. "I believe it is from that epic: The Epitaph of Twilight" I said. "Correct… I did some research on the knight's role in the Epitaph after I joined;" Asaoka explained. "What did you find out?" I asked curiously. "The Crimson Knights; warriors of Darkness, followers of Helba: Queen of Dark. They oppose Apeiron, the King of light, and his Cobalt Knights" Asaoka explained. "Warriors of darkness…" I said to myself. "Pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?" Asaoka asked. "I suppose… I have never really shown much interest in the Epitaph of Twilight" I said with a shrug. "But there are so many mysteries about it" Asaoka said. "It all seems pointless to me, you should try talking to James, as I am sure he holds some interest for it" I said. "So it'd be safe to assume you're not interested in the Key of the Twilight either?" Asaoka asked. "The item rumored to be the ultimate power? The very one that players have been searching for since the first version of The World?" I asked. "The very same" Asaoka said. "More rumors" I said dismissively. "Can you say that with all confidence after what Tsukasa did to you?" Asaoka asked seriously. "Well… No… I cannot" I admitted. "But there are so many rumors about the Key of the Twilight; that it would be impossible to truly tell if he has obtained it" I retorted. "I suppose you're right" Asaoka said with a shrug. "Not only that, I refuse to believe the ultimate power within the game, grants the user control of a monster that can affect people in reality." I said as I shook my head. _Of course I could be wrong… I should not discount the possibility… _"Maybe, but all this talk of Tsukasa, and his monster have the boards all riled up about the Key of The Twilight" Asaoka said. "I'm somewhat interested in it myself" Asaoka said. "You believe it exists?" I asked. "I haven't seen anything to prove it doesn't" Asaoka retorted. "I cannot argue that" I admitted. "So wanna look for it together?" Asaoka asked with a giggle. "I have more pressing matters to attend to, as do you. You joined the Crimson Knights; you are under my command now." I said firmly. "I knew what I was getting into when I joined." Asaoka said seriously. "Do not fail me" I said seriously. "I wouldn't dream of it" Asaoka said. "Good. At exactly eight thirty tonight you will meet me in front of Mac Anu's chaos gate. I will teach you everything you need to know; expect it to be difficult, not many people enter the knights as a lieutenant" I said as I aligned the final desk. "About that… Are you sure that's alright? I mean, there are probably more qualified people" Asaoka asked. "Perhaps…, but I will make you a knight worthy of that position. You must be able to manage the squad in my absence, learn the names of all the squad captains, and squad members." I explained. "Finally, I must teach you about leadership" I said as I made my way to the head of the class, and took my position next to Asaoka. "You have a very interesting style of leadership, Senpai" Asaoka said with a giggle. "A great Philosopher once said: "The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good." I explained. "But that isn't exactly chivalrous, is it?" Asaoka asked. "I am hard on the knights, but they will come to understand. I must first obtain total control over them, after they are broken; there will be no need to treat them harshly" I explained. "Because they'll fear your punishment?" Asaoka asked. "You are a fast learner" I said with a nod. "But pushing them to hard could turn them into traitors as well. No one likes being treated badly" Asaoka said. "All it takes is one drastic action, I will not have to worry about squad one." I said confidently. "Yeah, I suppose" Asaoka said. "But that is not to say they will not change, I will require you to watch them carefully. That job shall be easy considering we only have five members, but unfortunately with our low numbers we will require aid from the other squads. You cannot be to careful, do not let yourself be fooled by those traitors" I explained. "I wouldn't think of it" Asaoka said with a large smile, she turned her back to me and muttered something to herself before turning back to me, and smiling. "And one more thing… It concerns the Key of the Twilight" I said. "What about it?" Asaoka asked. "Keep one of your ears on the ground, if the item does exist, and Tsukasa does not possess it, I would very much like to know" I said seriously. "You gonna use it for yourself?" Asaoka asked. "An item like that has no business existing, to make sure no one misuses it, I will keep it for myself" I said seriously. "Sounds to me like you're just gonna use it for yourself" Asaoka said playfully. "You would be surprised how easily I resist temptation" I said with a grin. "Just destroy it" Asaoka said with a shrug. "It has no business existing, but that does not mean it is without a purpose. The World may require the use of that item one day, perhaps against another player like Tsukasa" I said seriously. "Yeah, I guess you're right, I'll lurk around the message boards and see what I can dig up" Asaoka said. "Do not overwork yourself sifting through rumors, I shall see if James can do that" I said. "Public relations is more his department anyway" I said with a chuckle. "Alright, I understand" Asaoka said with a giggle. "Class should be starting soon, retrieve the class roster for me" I commanded. "Of course" Asaoka said with a bow.

I was feeling better, so school seemed much more bearable, unlike the past few days. Soon the bell sounded, signaling the start of Lunch Break, I jumped up from my desk, and stopped James before he left the room. "Something up?" James asked. I motioned for him to move away from the other students, as I seriously did not want them to hear what I was about to say. "James, I take it you are familiar with the Key of the Twilight" I whispered. "Yeah of course, isn't everyone?" He whispered back. "Do you know the latest rumors?" I whispered. "Well I've been looking around the boa-" James stopped and shot me a large grin. "So, you're starting to come around huh?" James asked with a smirk on his face. "The Key of the Twilight… After what I have witnessed Tsukasa do, even I can admit such an item may exist." I admitted. "And you're looking for it now huh?" James asked. "I am not actively seeking it, but if such an item does exist… I would have to find it" I said seriously. "Well I don't really care what you plan on doing if you find it, but honestly Kane… I'm looking for the key with my new guild" James said with a forced smile. "Royal Flush?" I asked. "When they discovered the rumor they jumped all over it, so we're all looking for it together" James chuckled. "And if you find it…?" I asked seriously. "Who knows? That's half the fun I suppose, maybe we'll just hide it again… And then find it again" James said with a shrug. "I see… I came, expecting your help…" I sighed to myself. "Helping you find it would mean neglecting the others, sorry Stance, but you're on your own with this one" James said as he patted my shoulders. "I cannot change your mind, can I?" I asked. "I promised them Kane" James said with a sorrowful smile. "I understand… You made a promise, and you must honor it." I said as I nodded towards James. "If you were to find the Key… You would not misuse its alleged powers… But I hope you understand, I still plan to look for it to" I said seriously. "Of course" James said with a yawn. "Very well. I have said all I wish to say; you may go." I said with an annoyed wave. "Yeah, of course" James said as he placed his hands behind his head, and walked out of the classroom.

"Ouch" I sighed.

Asaoka and I met during lunch, and began to discuss our plans for running in the Student Council elections. "Alright, so, what's the plan?" Asaoka asked. "The Council isn't active enough; infact many forget it exists until an election begins. Things have to change. The Student Council must become more involved in activities within the school; we have so many festivals and events that are organized by the students; when it is the Councils job to organize them." I explained. "Hmm… Yeah, I can agree with that; they don't really seem to do much" Asaoka said with a nod. "The Council represents the student body; I have heard many complaints by students over the years, some more serious than others, but I do not recall the Student Council ever bringing the issue up with the school's administration. The students must become involved with the Council." I added. "Right, right." Asaoka nodded. "The current Council does nothing; they are worthless, and if I had it my way; they'd be disbanded." I said as I shook my head. "Instead of sitting on the sidelines, and complaining, I am going to take a proactive approach" I declared. "The Council must become involved, or be dissolved" I said seriously. "So what do you plan on doing?" Asaoka asked. "The Student Council is in charge of organizing the events; instead they hand out their budget to the students, and expect them to do it for them. Not anymore; when I am elected I, along with the Student Council will organize the events." I declared. "But that would take away creative control from the students" Asaoka said. "No it wouldn't. I told you that the Student Council represents the student body, the students will still be responsible for creating the ideas, and themes; they will retain control overall; the council will ultimately make their dreams a reality" I explained. "Oh, yeah; that makes sense" Asaoka nodded. "The complaints of the student body must be heard; the Student Council is in charge of handling all complaints and presenting them to the schools administration correct?" I asked. "Yeah" Asaoka nodded. "Students have been complaining about the prices of the lunch room's food lately, haven't they?" I asked again. "Yeah… That's true… I barely have enough money for food, let alone something to drink" Asaoka sighed. "Yet the Council does nothing!" I shouted. "If you ask me; they are all sitting on their asses, just using the Student Council as a way to get out of class" I spat. "It wouldn't surprise me" Asaoka sighed. "That's our goal: Make the Student Council a functioning organization!" I declared. "So it's all about change huh?" Asaoka asked. "Teenagers these days eat up change; they cannot stand having something stay the same." I sneered. "Well with things the way they are…" Asaoka sighed. "Exactly; they will either vote for me; which would give the Council a purpose, or they will vote for another lazy fool" I explained. "We'll deal with the other issues as they come up; I'm pretty sure the Student Council never expected anyone serious to run this time" I said with a nod. "Alright, sounds like an easy victory" Asaoka said with a shrug. "Perhaps; but do not underestimate our opponents; whoever they may be. Political mudslinging is a reality; and that may be their main tactic; and with my strict attitude; it may be an effective tactic" I explained. "You gonna to throw some mud too, Senpai?" Asaoka asked with a giggle. "Not openly; I'll have others do it for me… That way, I can maintain my professional reputation, while slandering my opponents" I sneered. "That's pretty underhanded, Senpai" Asaoka said playfully. "That's politics, Asaoka" I said. "I suppose you're right, it's no different anywhere else" Asaoka sighed. "A sad; and harsh reality. But I'll have to play by their rules for now…" I said seriously. "Do what'cha gotta do, right?" Asaoka asked. "As underhanded as it is… Yes… I will do as I must." I said with a nod. "Well, Senpai; I'll start writing up drafts for posters" Asaoka said. "Good… But before we go spreading the word…" I said. "Yeah, Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "Let's spread some rumors…" I sneered. "Rumors, Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "Not many students are thinking about the Student Council; even with the election approaching" I said. "Start bringing the council up in conversations; make the student body focus its attention on the council. Make them think about what the council should be doing; so they will remember all the times the council has failed them. Create a desire for an active council; and that will only help me in the long run, understand?" I asked Asaoka. "Yeah… I understand, that's pretty smart, Senpai" Asaoka said. "Supply and demand" I chuckled. "Now go, and create the demand" I said to Asaoka. "Yes sir!" Asaoka said with a sarcastic salute. Asaoka darted out of the room, leaving me by myself.

"And to think people actually go to school to become politicians…" I chuckled to myself.

…

"A rebellion in the knights…" I sighed to myself as I walked home from work. _"All of this because Subaru let Tsukasa go… If anyone has the right to complain, it should be me" I said to myself. "After all, I am the one who was knocked out by his attack! I will admit that I am angered by Subaru's decision… "_But… To undermine her authority… That is something I could never do." I said as I clenched my fist_. _"I will not go back on my word; regardless of my feelings, I will always follow Subaru, and support her decision! That is the essence of a knight; honor! Without it a knight is nothing! On my honor, I swore to follow Subaru!" I shouted.

…

"I'm home" I said as I entered my apartment. "That's right… No one here." I sighed as I peered at the clock. _I'm not hungry… I will do without tonight._ "I haven't been feeling well since the incident anyway…" I said as I held my forehead. "Not much the doctors can do… Could it be stress?" I sighed to myself. As I stared blankly into my kitchen, my cell phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket, and answered it quickly. "This is Kane" I answered. "Yo, it's James. You seen the board lately?" James asked. "No, of course not" I said with an annoyed tone, hoping James would make this fast. "Everyone's talking about Tsukasa; heck, people are starting to hunt him down themselves" James said. "What!?" I couldn't help but shout. "I… I don't know! I just came home, and glanced over the board, and all I'm seeing is Tsukasa this, and Tsukasa that" James said trying to calm me down. "Look! I do not care what everyone else is doing! You will stay away from him, do I make myself clear!?" I shouted into the phone. "Whoa… Kane, calm down man. Look, I'm not gonna go after him, I've already crossed that bridge, remember?" James said seriously. "Good..." I sighed in relief. "But Kane, what about the other players? Tsukasa said he'd stop as long as no one came after him right? Well with players looking for him…" James said. "He would only be defending himself" I said sternly. "That may be the case, but they don't understand what he's capable of. People are just trying to play a game, you can't expect them to know about Tsukasa's monster, and its power" James said seriously. "James… There is nothing I can do to stop them; I do not have the power to alter how the playerbase thinks…" I sadly admitted. "But… Darn! There has to be something we can do!" James shouted. "We can only hope Tsukasa keeps himself hidden, and this obsession dies down" I said. "Kane, that's not going to solve anything, innocent players could still end up unconscious or worse" James sighed. "James… Subaru is most likely aware of the situation. If anyone has a way of contacting Tsukasa, it is most likely her. She will no doubt warn Tsukasa of what is happening on the boards. So I don't think we need to worry…" I explained. "Now, hold up! It's one thing for Subaru to release him, but now all the sudden she has ways of contacting him? What is she, his' buddy?" James asked with his typical sarcastic tone. "James, there are a lot of factors that you do not understand" I tried to explain. "I understand that Subaru has a way of talking to Tsukasa, what makes you think she isn't helping Tsukasa? For all we kn-" I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "Enough of this foolishness! I will not stand by while you slander the good name of Lady Subaru; enough people have already done so! Lady Subaru must have the patience of a saint, as there is no way I could tolerate such disrespect! She takes time out of her valuable day, to help those in need, and improve The World!" I shouted into my phone. "Kane? Have you already forgotten what he's done?" James asked, obviously taken back by my shouting. "Of course I haven't! But, according to Lady Subaru…" James interrupted me before I could finish. "And just what did she say? Kane?" James asked. "He's not in front of a terminal" I simply stated. "What?" James simply asked. "She does not think he is in front of a terminal" I said seriously. "That doesn't make any sense…" James sighed to himself. "Perhaps, but once you actually picture it… It doesn't seem impossible. A human becoming stuck inside The World" I awkwardly explained. "Kane? Haha… I get it… You're sick" James said with a slight sigh. "Come off it James. We both know something is not right. He hurt your body by just attacking you in game, and he knocked me out with a single attack while I was inside the game as well. I can't believe you are having trouble believing this; normally you are the one with these crackpot theories" I sighed heavily. "Besides you saw the access logs, right?" I asked. "Well… Yeah…" James admitted. "I'm not saying I believe it myself… But I know for a fact that The World has to take their servers offline for maintenance, he was somehow able to stay logged on during that? Think about Dash… It may seem completely impossible, but just put yourself in his place" I said trying to retain a professional tone. There was a long awkward silence, and then James finally spoke up. "Alright… I mean, it still sounds utterly impossible…" James said. "Right… James… Just… Don't go after him…" I said hoping he would agree. "Yeah… Alright…" James said with a sighed. I sighed with relief. I sat down at my kitchen table, waiting for James to speak up, when my cell phone alerted me to an incoming call. "Asaoka?" I asked myself as I stared at my phone. "James… Hey, I have another phone call, please excuse me." I said as I answered Asaoka's call. "What is it, Asaoka?" I said answering my phone. "Senpai!" She desperately shouted. "I-… I stayed after school, to help with the tennis club…" Her voice was shaky; it was obvious she was crying. "Asaoka! Calm down! What's going on?" I asked. "One of my friends overheard our conversation in the classroom" Asaoka said trying to hold back her tears. "So she knows I plan to run? That is fine…" I said trying to comfort her. "No! You don't understand!" Asaoka shouted. "I don't know how! But they found out!" Asaoka cried. "Found out what?" I asked worriedly. There was a long pause; the only thing I could hear was the small cries of Asaoka. "About what you did…" Asaoka finally cried. "About what I… You mean…The incident with my sister?" I asked nervously. "I didn't tell them Senpai, I swear!" Asaoka pleaded. "But… How did they find out?" I asked dejectedly. "One of the seniors in our tennis club… She… Senpai… I don't know how… But she had a copy of the newspaper" Asaoka said, her voice shaking. "That… That is not good…" I said to myself as I fell back against a wall, and slid down to the floor. "Senpai… I didn't mean for this to happen…" Asaoka cried. "No… Your friend overheard… And word got out... It is not your fault Asaoka" I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

_They know… I constantly told myself I never cared if people found out… But… They know… Now word will get out… I should have seen this coming… Libraries carry copies of old news paper… And with the world wide web… It was only a matter of time…_

"I'm so sorry Senpai…" Asaoka whimpered through my cell phone. "It's not your fault Asaoka" I said trying to cheer her up. I sat there basking in the silence that followed. Occasionally Asaoka would whimper, and apologize, but I didn't have the energy to respond. I was to concerned with would happen once news reached the instructors at school. _They are just as judgmental as the students…_ Suddenly my home phone started ringing; its loud noise brought me back to reality. "Hold on Asaoka… I've another call…" I said softly as I placed the phone on the counter near the phone. _I know I should try and comfort her more… But…_

"You have reached the Takeshi residence; this is Kane Takeshi speaking, how may I help you?" I asked. "Kane? It's Natsuko, where are your parents?" Natsuko hurriedly asked. "They are currently away on business, is their anything I can do?" I asked. "Your sister's heart… It's giving out" Natsuko said sternly. "Her… What!? Her heart!?" I shouted. "Kane, she's being prepped for emergency surgery" Natsuko said. "No! Damnit all, this is not funny!" I shouted into the phone. "Kane her heart is getting weaker each day… The pacemaker will only do its job for so long" Natsuko explained. "Damnit! Will she be alright?" I shouted. "I don't know…" Natsuko admitted sadly. My vision started to blur, my head started to spin, and I fought to keep my balance. "No! Damnit! She had better be alright!" I couldn't stop myself from crying. "Kane… You should get down here" Natsuko said sternly. Before I could reply I lurched over to the trashcan, and vomited.

I didn't waste another second, I dropped everything I had, and dashed out the door. I could barely see because of all the tears, and I ended up tripping on my way down the stairs. I tumbled all the way to the bottom, hitting the ground with a dull thud. I forced my self to my feet, and started running towards the hospital. "With all the dying people in the word… They can't find one damn heart!" I shouted as I ran down the street. I didn't notice a small hole near the sidewalk. My foot landed in it, and I lurched forward onto the ground below. I cried out in pain as I freed my foot from the large hole. "Damnit!" I couldn't help but cry out in pain as I stood up on my sprained ankle. "This is nothing!" I cried out into the night. "After what she has gone through, this is how you choose to end it!?" I shouted up into the night sky. I forced myself forward, I had to change the way I ran so I wouldn't trip over my injured foot. "It is not fair… It is because of me!" I cried out as I ran down the street.

I didn't slow my pace as I entered the hospital. I didn't bother with a proper greeting; instead I threw myself against the door leading to the ER, nearly tearing it off its hinges. "Where!?" I desperately shouted. The nurses that where on duty started to panic as I shoved them out of the way, and limped down the hallway. "Where is she!?" I shouted in desperation. Natsuko finally heard all the commotion, and hurried over to me. Before she could speak, I grabbed her by her collar, and threw her up against the wall. "Why is she like this!? You said you would find her a heart!" I shouted. "Kane! Calm down…" Natsuko said as she tried to free herself. "Why… Why… Why will you not take mine!?" I shouted. Natsuko shoved her knee into my gut, and shoved me into the floor. "Because if we did that, you'd die" She spat. "I do not care! She has more to live for than I do." I shouted as I rose to my feet. "I am the reason she's like this. If I would have listened to her… It would have been me in there now!" I shouted. "And she'd be standing here right now. Doing exactly what you're doing" Natsuko said seriously. "You are supposed to help her! You are doctors! But you have done nothing! My life… It is meaningless! Why won't they take my heart!? It is my decision! She has more to live for than I do! She is younger… She deserves that much!" I shouted. "It's not exactly saving a life if we take one in the process" Natsuko said. "I do not care… hundreds of people all over the world die every day… And you are telling me you cannot find a suitable heart!?" I screamed. "It's not as simple as you think" Natsuko retorted. "But I know for a fact my heart will work! Our blood types are exactly the same! It was the first thing the doctors did! They checked all of our blood types… My parents are to self centered to help their own daughter… You are willing to take theirs, but not mine!?" I screamed. "You're still just a child." Natsuko said. I screamed as loud as I could, and bashed in a door leading to a supply room.

"If you will not take my heart… Then I will remove it myself! No more excuses!" I shouted as I grabbed a scalpel, and pressed it against my chest. "What the!? Wait you idiot!" Natsuko said as she ran forward. I moved the scalpel out in front of me, warding her off. "Get back!" I shouted as I waved the scalpel at her. "You idiot! If you stick that in your chest you're only going to damage your heart! And we won't even be able to use it!" Natsuko shouted. "Then…" I stammered as I moved the knife to my neck. "Don't be a fool" Natsuko shouted. "I want my sister to live… She's been here for so long, and you still have not found a heart… Well now… You can just use mine" I said as I reared the scalpel back.

I plunged the scalpel forward, only to be shoved down to the ground.

The Scalpel was knocked from my hand before it reached its target. I looked up at the person who had stopped me. It was Asaoka; her eyes were completely red, and her face was covered with sweat, and tears. "Why?" Was all I managed to ask. She didn't bother to respond; instead she slapped me across the face, and buried her face in my chest. She started to cry "You idiot…" Was all she said. She buried her face further in my chest, causing my shirt to become damp with her tears. Natsuko walked over to the scalpel, and kicked it aside. "It'd take something a lot larger than that to kill you… We'd just stitch up the hole in your throat. Moron." Natsuko said harshly as she looked down on me. "What the!? Kane, Asaoka, you guys alright?" James shouted as he ran up to us. "He tried to kill himself" Natsuko said as she picked up the scalpel, and tossed it in a nearby trashcan. "What!? Kane!?" James shouted in utter amazement as he looked down at me. "You idiot!" He shouted as he punched me across the face, forcing the last bit of consciousness out of me.

I awoke in the hospital waiting room. I was laying on one of the sofas. Asaoka was supporting my head with her lap. She was running her hand through my hair, and I don't think she noticed I was awake. She was still crying, and occasional some of her tears would land on my face. The left side of my face was still numb from James's punch, and from the sound of things, he was nearby. Being in such a compromising position made me uncomfortable; I tried to get away from Asaoka, but she only held me tighter. "Let me go…" I said lifelessly. "No…" Asaoka said as she forced my body back down. I didn't have the strength to resist, my ankle, and legs ached from the running; and because of James's punch, I was still fairly light headed. "Kane… What the heck were you thinking?" James said as looked down on me. "She is getting worse… I can no longer ignore it… She is dying…" I said lifelessly. "I have failed her…" I sighed. "Kane… You… do you have any idea what you were about to do?" James asked. "Suicide" I simply answered. "But… Why?" James asked, as he shook his head. "They can use my heart" I said as I stared up into Asaoka's eyes. "Kane… That would…" James started, but I interrupted him. "Kill me. I know… It's suicide; I'm perfectly aware of it." I sighed. "But why, Senpai?" Asaoka asked. "It's my fault she is in this state. It is penance for what I did to her…" I explained. "Kane… It's not your fault…" James said trying to comfort me. "That is a god awful lie… I ignored her all those years ago. There is no one to blame but me… And even though I killed that man with my own hands… It is still not enough. If I could go back… I would easily change places with her." I said dejectedly. "Kane… You know she'd be angry to hear you talk like that…" James said. "I do not care… Even if it was me in there, and she was out here… It does not matter… Time travel is not a reality. I am the cause of this… And what can I do to help her…? I am her brother… I am supposed to be there for her… To protect her… But look at me…" I sighed. "I am… Pathetic…" I sighed aloud. "No you're not Senpai!" Asaoka cried. "You have no idea what would happen if you died…" Asaoka cried. "I wouldn't know what to do… I'd have to run the class all on my own… It'd become so hard…" Asaoka cried. "You wouldn't push all those responsibilities off on me, would you?!" Asaoka shouted. "And what about me? If you leave, who's going to keep me on task? Who's going to wake me up, and remind me to take notes during class?" James asked. "Don't be so selfish with your life, Kane. There are other people out there that would be affected if you suddenly killed yourself" James said seriously. "And you were actually considering killing yourself so your sister could use your heart? Do you honestly think she'd be alright knowing that the heart that's inside her, once belonged to her brother, someone she loved and cared for so much?" James asked. I didn't respond… Rather… I couldn't respond… He was right…I am selfish… "I'd punch you again, but I'm afraid I might actually break something" James sighed aloud. There wasn't anything I could say… I just looked up into Asaoka's eyes. I don't know why, but they brought me comfort. With her visage fresh in my head, I drifted to sleep.

I awoke to Natsuko shoving my shoulder. Asaoka was still sitting on the sofa, with me resting in her lap. She and James had obviously fallen asleep. "Kane, your sister is alright" Natsuko said as she helped me to my feet. I made sure not to wake Asaoka when I stood up. "Good…" I couldn't hold back my tears of joys when I heard the good news. I tried to stand on my own, but my injured ankle made that impossible. "Here, come on" Natsuko said as she grabbed one of my arms, and wrapped it around her neck. She helped me walk down the silent hallway, to Yoko's room. "It's not as serious as we thought. The pacemaker just shorted out. It was serious… But not like I described over the phone" Natsuko said seriously. "Thank you…" I said seriously. "If it makes you feel any better… It'd be happy to cut out that heart of yours out… But I really don't think you'd want me to do that" Natsuko said seriously. "No… Not now…" I responded without even having to think. "Change your mind huh?" Natsuko asked with a large grin. "Yes… I have too many duties… If I were to end my life prematurely… Let us just say I have got other people I must live for." I said as I remembered what Asaoka, and James said. "Well that's good." Natsuko said seriously. "But the next time you wave a scalpel like that at me… I'm going to remove more than your heart" Natsuko said seriously, as she opened the door to Yoko's room with her foot. Yoko was lying in bed; she looked so miserable until she saw me. Then her face lit up with excitement. "Oniichan" She weakly muttered. I threw myself off Natsuko, and stumbled over to Yoko's bed. Words couldn't express how happy I was to see her. I softly hugged her, and gave her a soft kiss on the check. "How are you feeling?" I asked. "Better" she weakly responded. "You need to get a lot of rest, understand?" I asked as I ran my hand through her hair. "Yes…" She weakly responded. I kept rubbing her hair until she drifted off to sleep. When I limped away from Yoko, I could see Asaoka, and James standing at the door. "You see? Nothing to worry about" James said with his typical smirk. "Yes…" I said with a nod. "Now imagine how she would have felt waking up and you not being there…" Asaoka said. "I understand. There is no need to continue. Thank you both, very much." I said seriously. "Kane, I've gotten a hold of your parents" Natsuko said as she reentered the room. "You have?" I asked curiously. "Here" She said with an annoyed grunt, as she handed me her cell phone. "Hello?" I asked as I turned my back to James, and Asaoka. "Kane? Is everything alright?" My mother asked. "Yes, the situation has been resolved" I said with a nod. "Very good. Then we do not need to return" My mother said with a sigh of relief. "…No… I suppose not…" I said with a heavy sigh. "Very well. Kane, I have something important to tell you." My mother said seriously. "Yes, mother?" I asked. "We're going to have to stay in America for now. I know it's sudden… But I don't think we'll be back by the end of this year." My mother explained. "Ah… You're not coming back…? I made sure Yoko was asleep before I said anything. "Things are shaky over here, the company is going through some serious hardships, and we're needed here." My mother said. "What about Yoko… And I?" I asked. "We'll still send money, don't worry. We just won't be around, so you'll need to take care of your sister, alright?" My mother said, trying to sound as sorry as she could. "You will be gone…. Until next year… That is so long…" I couldn't help but sigh aloud. "You'll be alright, wont you?" My mother asked. _I don't have a choice…_ "I will be fine… and I will take care of Yoko…" I said dejectedly. "Alright, you know we both love you, take care!" And with that, she hung up. I slowly handed Natsuko her phone back. James and Asaoka looked about as shocked as I did. "Nothing new… I suppose" I said trying to lighten the mood. "Me and you need to have a serious talk about your parents, Kane" Natsuko said seriously. _ I know what she's getting at…_ "Later… Please…" I said; holding my head. "Alright… I understand. You need to get some rest anyway" Natsuko said seriously. "You need some crutches, or a wheelchair?" Natsuko asked as she studied my foot. "No… I do not want to trouble you more than I already have" I said seriously. "Alright" Natsuko said with a shrug.

"Don't worry, we'll get him home" James, said as he helped me out of the room.

"James and Asaoka both supported me as I walked home. Although I only need support on one side of my body, Asaoka insisted… "Thank you… Both…" I said seriously. "Don't mention it, Kane" James said with a slight chuckle. "You're just lucky Asaoka didn't hang up" James added. I turned to Asaoka, who blushed and looked away. "You left your phone on… I heard you talk about your sister, so I ran down to the hospital too…" Asaoka said shyly. "I don't really have an excuse for what I was going to do…" I said sadly. "Don't worry about it Kane. As dumb as it was… I think I can kind of understand it…" James said. "But throwing your life away like that… Without even thinking about others… Kane, you're more mature than that." James said seriously. "You've got friends, family; and loved ones, that all care about you" James added. "Thank you, James… And you too, Asaoka" I said seriously. "You are both my friends… You stopped me from doing something incredibly foolish tonight… So thank you…" I said. "We all need a little help from time to time" Asaoka said with a bright smile. We came to a fork in the road, and James removed my arm from his shoulder "It's almost ten… I'll break my curfew if I'm out any later. "Asaoka, can you take him home?" James asked. "Yeah, I'll take care of him" Asaoka said as she repositioned herself to support my injured foot. "Alright, see you guys later" James said as he casually waved.

Asaoka, helped me down the street, there was an awkward atmosphere around us. The silence started to make me uneasy. "Thank you, Asaoka" I said seriously. "Don't worry about it, Senpai." Asaoka said dismissively. "No… You… You saved my life… Or at the very least, stopped me from doing something I would have regretted… You are far more than an assistant to me… I do not think I will ever be able to properly thank you for what you have done for me" I said. "No Senpai… You don't need to thank me" Asaoka said bashfully. "Asaoka… Listen to me…My first year… Everyone… They all bullied me. I hated coming to school… But most of all… I hated everyone at school… Students and teachers alike… Upperclassmen constantly attacked me… And pulled heartless pranks on me… No one got close to me, because they did not want to be involved. They just looked at me, and thought… "Atleast it is not me…" I can't blame them for that." I explained. "I pretended it did not bother me… But deep down it hurt… I stopped hating everyone around me, because I understood… I understood why they wouldn't want to be involved with me… All of these horrible things that happen to me. I became a class representative because I wanted it all to change… I wanted respect." I explained as I struggled to walk. "Senpai…" Asaoka gasped. "Even now… The student council, it is just a way for the upperclassmen to maintain control… And all I have become was their pawn… I went from bringing them their lunches, and being at the butt of all their jokes… To becoming nothing more than one of their political tools." I sadly admitted. "Senpai I don't understand…" Asaoka said. "It is no secret that the upperclassmen bully, and put down the rest of the school… Everyone is aware of it… Even the teachers. Often the rich and powerful sit at the top, and manipulate students and teachers to suit their needs. Using their social position, and at times their money as a means of control… The student council is run by upperclassmen, as a means of keeping that control… It's so strange what's become of our education system... People are considered outcasts because the upperclassmen find them displeasing… Or different. The entire student body fears being viewed as an outcast… So they are easily swayed by how the upperclassmen think or act. They join the upperclassmen in teasing, or bullying other students." I explained. "I am no different… When I became a class representative, I thought it would give me a voice in the council, and allow me to try and change things… But it was the exact opposite… They stopped bullying me, and moved onto other people… And I… I was forced to speak, and vote a certain way… Every time the student council attempted to pass a new rule, or alter the way they used the school's budget… I never voted the way I truly felt… I was only doing what the upperclassmen told me to do." I was disgusted with myself, but I continued. "I did not question them, because the attention was away from me… But I know it was just shifted to someone else… I started to secretly undermine their decisions… Nothing overt, or drastic… I was able to have some of their decisions over turned by lobbying other representatives, and council members; bribing them… Doing whatever I could to make them vote against the upperclassmen's decisions… But I am sure they were aware… Infact… I know they were…" I sighed. "That is why people started talking about me behind my back again… James noticed it at first, but I do not think he has any idea what is really going on." I sighed. "I got fed up with it all, and so I made the decision to run for head of the student council… I was overjoyed that you wanted to be my vice president, even though I knew what would happen to you, if the upperclassmen decided to… It was foolish, and selfish of me not to think of this… And now that they know what I did in the past… I doubt I even stand a chance of winning the election. Infact, they will probably tell everyone anyway… Just to hurt me… A punishment for going against their wishes… " I said with a deep sigh. "It makes me sick… How it all works…" I added. "I am no knight… I am just a coward…" I sighed. "But I will not go down without a fight… Damned if I do… Damned if I do not… Atleast one of those paths has a chance of me changing everything… However small it may be…" I said as I pushed myself off Asaoka. "Senpai?" Asaoka stopped walking, and moved away from me. "As dumb as it is… If they start bullying me again… You will only become a target too… You have done far too much for me already. I will take it from here" I said as I staggered home.

"You idiot!" Asaoka shouted, as she slapped me across the face, knocking me off balance. "You still don't get it do you?" She shouted as she grabbed me by my collar. "Stop being so selfish! You don't have to confront these problems by yourself! I'll be there no matter what! I don't care what any upperclassmen do! I told you I'd be your vice president, and I meant every word of it!" Asaoka shouted as she forced me to the ground. "Stop pushing others away! Stop pretending you don't need any help!" Asaoka shouted as she shook my shoulders. "Ignoring others and not sharing your burdens will only cause you unnecessary stress!" Asaoka shouted. "Asaoka…" I grunted. "I love you, you idiot! I don't care what anyone does to you, or me!" Asaoka shouted. _She…!? _"Asaoka… You… I…" I couldn't formulate a proper response. I don't think Asaoka could either. All she did was hug me tightly, and I hugged her… I think at that point, it's the only thing I could do.

Asaoka helped me climb the stairs of my apartment. "Will you be alright?" Asaoka asked. "It's swollen… But not broken. It will heal. Right now it is just sore…" I said trying not to worry Asaoka. "Senpai… The newspaper one of the upperclassmen had at tennis practice…" Asaoka said. "What about it…?" I asked curiously. "It had your name… Unlike the one you have." Asaoka said sadly. "It's not too shocking. There are many organizations that print newspaper… Some of them may have decided to keep my name secret, and others may have decided otherwise… It was so long ago, it may have even been aired on some of the local news channels… Maybe even the national ones…" I explained. "But… It was one of my friends…" Asaoka sighed. "Gossip travels fast… She's a member of the tennis team, right? It was only a matter of time before the news reached the upperclassmen… I wanted rumors no doubt…But I just wanted the plant the desire for a non corrupt student government… I didn't want everyone to know I was planning to run… Not yet… My plan backfired…" I sighed. "Not everyone knows, Senpai… The upperclassman came to me directly… She showed me the newspaper, and asked for clarifications… Of course I denied it… But it had your full name…" Asaoka said sadly.. "Don't worry about it Asaoka… I don't plan to drop out… I'll still run… I'll just have to face whatever happens head on" I said seriously.

"Hey… Asaoka-san." I heard a female's voice from behind. Asaoka and I turned to see who was there. "Oh! Hayami-san!" Asaoka said with a welcoming wave. "Uhh… Hello… Takeshi-sama" Akira said with a nervous wave. Using my free hand, I gave a slight wave to Akira "Hello, Hayami-san" I said as politely as I could. "Asaoka-san… I got the… The newspaper" Akira said timidly. She handed Asaoka, a rather old and dusty looking newspaper. "Oh! But… How did you…" Asaoka asked as she eyed the newspaper. "Risa wanted to apologize for eavesdropping on you two… She asked me to help her get the newspaper back from Chihiro-san… I told her I lived near Takeshi-sama, so I would return it to him… But when I came home to give it to you, your door was left open…" Akira said softly. "I… Was in such a hurry…" I said slightly blushing. "I told my father that you weren't there… He searched your house… Sorry about that…" Akira said nervously. "No… It is fine…" I said with a nod. "I was on my way out to help my dad look around for you, Takeshi-sama… But I heard you two…" Akira shyly admitted. "Oh… You heard…" I sighed, thinking about what Asaoka had shouted. "Akira!? You find him?" Someone shouted from the ground floor of the apartment complex. "Oh… My dad…" Akira said as she leaned over the railing. "Dad! Its fine! He's up here!" Akira shouted. "Alright!" Akira's father shouted back. "The newspaper… Did you read it?" I asked Akira. "Oh… Ah… Well…" Akira said timidly. "Don't worry about it… I probably would have done the same thing" I said with a reassuring smile. "Ah… Well… It's not really any of my business Takeshi-sama… But you were just defending your family… That's what a man is supposed to do" Akira said seriously. "Yes… Thank you, Hayami-san" I said with a firm nod. _This upperclassman may have made copies, or she may even have more papers… But Akira did this for me… No point in bringing that up._ "Hayami-san… Thank you… Really" Asaoka said seriously. "Hey… Don't worry about it…" Akira said with a bashful smile. "Akira? Everything alright?" Akira's father asked as he appeared behind her. "Oh, hey dad. Yeah, everything's alright" Akira said seriously. "Ah… You must be… Kane Takeshi?" Akira's father said as he studied me. I most look pretty bad… The last time he saw me was when I was passed out at the bottom of my stairs, and now I can barely stand. "Yes… I do not think we have been properly introduced. I am Kane Takeshi. It is an honor to meet you." I said as Asaoka helped me position myself to shake his hand. "Yes. Takeshi, I am Shou Hayami you gave me quite a scare just now… It's not wise to leave your door open like that." Akira's father said seriously. "Forgive me, Hayami-sama… I did not mean to worry you… But I had an emergency to attend to at the local hospital." I said trying my best to bow. "I see… So that's what all the yelling was…" Shou said thoughtfully. "Ah… You heard…?" I asked. "We're neighbors, of course I heard you. But when I came over to check up on you, the door was left wide open, and no one was there." Shou explained. "And the other day… You were passed out in the floor… Is everything alright?" Shou asked worriedly. "Dad! Don't bother him like that" Akira whispered. "I was just overworked. I passed out at the top of the stairs. Thank you for getting me proper medical treatment" I said trying my hardest to bow. "I don't think you should be thanking me just yet… You don't look so good…" Shou said as he studied me. "This is… Unrelated to what happened before. These injuries I caused myself, while I was running down to the hospital." I explained. "Oh? But why were you running to the hospital… Were you sick?" Shou asked curiously. "No, my sister… There was a bit of a crisis" I said with a nod. "Oh? You have a sister?" Shou asked curiously. "Yes… She lives at the hospital… For now at least." I said. "Oh… I didn't mean to…" Shou said with a deep bow. "Will she be alright?" Shou asked worriedly. "Yes, she is fine" I said with a nod. "That's good to hear… Why is she living at the hospital?" Shou asked curiously. Akira and Asaoka both tensed up, Asaoka looked away, and Akira scolded her father. "Dad, don't pry!" Akira shouted. "No, no… I owe your father a lot, Hayami-san. On top of that, he's taken time out of his day, not once but twice to assist me." I said seriously. "Here" I simply said as I handed him the newspaper Akira retrieved. "Oh? Let's see…" Shou said as he brought the news paper close to his face. "Senpai… Are you sure?" Asaoka whispered. "He has a right to know. After all, he did help me." I whispered back. Shou studied the newspaper, and then looked up at me with a serious expression. "A man who cares for his family, now that's respectable" He said as he handed me the newspaper. "Thank you." I said as sincerely as I could. "Well… It's getting late." Shou said with a yawn. "Oh… Before I forget. Where are your parents, Takeshi?" Shou asked. "Business." I sighed. "I see… Well, if you ever need anything, just let me know" Shou said as he turned to Akira. "Don't stay out to late" He said seriously. "I know dad…" Akira said trying to force her dad away. "And you shouldn't stay out late either" He said, looking at us as seriously as he could. "We will not… Thank you." I said with another awkward bow. "Well, see you inside, Akira" He said as he left us there to ourselves.

"Your father is a good man, Hayami-san" Asaoka said seriously. "Yeah… I guess." Akira said with a blush. "Asaoka, aren't you getting tired of supporting me?" I asked trying to support myself on the nearby railing. "No! I'm fine, you just need to rest, stop trying to walk on it" Asaoka said, as she pulled me back. Akira let out a slight giggle at our quarrel. "Ah… Takeshi-sama… Is it true? Are you actually planning on running for student council president?" Akira asked. "That is correct" I said with a nod. "Well… You've got my vote" Akira said seriously. "That means a lot. Thank you" I said with a firm nod. "Oh and… Asaoka-san" Akira said looking over to Asaoka. "Huh? What is it?" Asaoka asked. "You should probably keep your voice down" Akira said seriously. "Huh?" Asaoka asked with a puzzled face. "I heard you all the way up here" Akira said with a slight chuckle. Asaoka glanced at Akira, and then turned to me with a puzzled expression. "She heard what you said to me" I said. "Oh… But… That's not really…" Asaoka said trying to comprehend what Akira was getting at. "Your confession" I said with a slight chuckle. "Oh!" Asaoka said, her face flushed deep red, and she looked away. "I'm not really the kind to gossip… But other people live here too" Akira said with a chuckle. "I should get going… I'll see you at tennis practice, on Monday, Asaoka-san!" Akira said with a cheerful smile. "Do your best!" Asaoka returned Akira's cheerful smile. "And I'll see you around too, Takeshi-sama" Akira said with a small wave. "Take care" I said as she returned to her apartment. "She's a good girl…" Asaoka said seriously. "Yes… No doubt there" I said seriously.

I winced in pain as Asaoka lowered me to the sofa in my living room. "Are you sure you're alright?" Asaoka asked worriedly. "I'm fine… Do not worry about it" I said seriously. "By the way… Are you sure your parents are alright with you being out this late?" I asked. "They're pretty relaxed. But I already told them I was spending the night with a friend." Asaoka said as she made her way into the kitchen. "Then you should get to your friends house as soon as possible." I said seriously. "I'm already there" Asaoka said with a chuckle. "What? Asaoka!" I shouted in confusion. I tried to stand, but Asaoka ran over and pushed me back down on the sofa. "No! You should be resting! You're in no condition to be moving!" Asaoka shouted. "You cannot stay here…" I grunted. "Someone has to take care of you. You are barely able to stand right? And you're parents aren't even here… So just sit down, and rest. Leave the rest to me" Asaoka said seriously. "Ah… Alright" Her forceful attitude caught me off guard.

"There isn't much to eat…" Asaoka said as she looked around the kitchen. "I haven't gone shopping in quite awhile…" I admitted. "There should be some rice in the cabinet next to the refrigerator, and there should be some instant miso soup next to it as well." I explained. "Oh… So you like traditional food, huh?" Asaoka asked. "I suppose… I just never really have time to cook… So rice and miso soup… It is more convenient" I said with a sigh. "I see… So is that what you eat for breakfast?" Asaoka asked curiously. "Well no… I normally don't eat breakfast" I admitted. "What? But Senpai, breakfast is really important" Asaoka said seriously. "I get up early on weekdays to see Yoko… And to get to school earlier than everyone else. I simply do not have time" I said half asleep. "Well… What about lunch?" Asaoka asked curiously. "I am to busy cleaning the classroom… And organizing… It after the students leave it in such a mess. It… is my duty" I said, trying to stay awake. _So tired…_

…

…

"You can't just skip two meals, Senpai…" I heaved a heavy sigh. "You could probably get away with just skipping one… But two is out of the question. It will leave you drained of energy" I explained as I prepared to steam the rice. "And this isn't even real miso soup…" I said as I examined the small tin container. "This can't be healthy for you" I sighed. "Uhh… Senpai? Are you alright?" I asked as I peeked over the sofa. Kane was lying there, sleeping. "I don't blame him… A lot happened today…" I said with a sigh. _I'm thankful I was able to make it to the hospital on time… he sounded so horrible over the phone… If he were to actually do something like that… I don't know what I'd do…_ "Senpai wakes up early to visit his sister, and help me with classroom duties… Then he skips lunch because he has more duties… Up top of that, he has a part time job… And in his free time… He is a crimson knight…" I sighed to myself. "I don't think anyone works harder than he does… And it's all voluntary…" I sighed to myself. _It was scary watching him the past few days… James and I both knew that something was wrong… But Kane never said anything… He just wanted to handle everything on his own… It was like watching a time bomb… James and I both knew it was only matter of time… But I had no idea it would be like this… He loves his sister so much… Seeing him hold that scalpel that close to his own neck…_ I stopped thinking about it… If I kept on… I wouldn't be able to stop myself from crying. I looked down at Kane's face. _The man I love… Is a reserved, overbearing, domineering, and at times very cynical man… But these are all qualities I accept… Because… Tonight… He exposed his weakness to me… Something I don't think he's done to anyone else… He told everything…His position as class representative… It was all so people would respect him… And even then… He was still being controlled… I had no idea… I knew that people were cruel to him in the past… But… Will it come to that again…?_ "Asaoka…?" Kane looked up at me with a puzzled expression. "Whaa…? Oh… Senpai…" I said, somewhat surprised he had awoken. "Why are you crying?" Kane asked curiously. "Huh?" I gasped while I felt around my eyes. _Oh… I'm crying again… _"Ah… It's the rice, it's finished, all the steam, you know" I said dismissively. "Oh… Asaoka, you did not have to go through all that trouble." Kane said worriedly. "No! You need to stop skipping meals! You may be alright skipping breakfast, or lunch… But skipping two meals is absolutely hazardous to your health!" I declared loudly. "So get up right now, you're going to eat something before you go to sleep!" I declared. I ran over to the kitchen, and prepared Kane a bowl of rice, and took it over to him. "Ah… He fell asleep again…" I said with a sigh. "Senpai, get up… You have to eat something" I said as I nudged at his shoulders. "Ah… Yes…" Kane muttered as he began to eat the rice I handed him. "Eating this late isn't healthy either… But you have to eat something." I said, trying to make him feel better. I really don't know if Kane was fully awake, he was eating. But he looked really spaced out. _He must really be tired…_ "Here, Senpai… Drink some of the Miso soup." I said handing him a small bowl. Kane obediently did as I asked. Although I don't think he had the strength to resist, he looked like he would fall asleep at any moment. Kane finished off his rice, and miso soup; then looked at me with his tired, dry eyes. "You should use my bed… I will sleep on the sofa" He said lifelessly. "No, the sofa will be bad on your ankle. Get up, I'll help you upstairs." I said offering my hand. Kane took my hand without any resistance. I used my body to offer him support on his injured ankle, and helped him up stairs. "Asaoka…" He muttered. "Yes, Senpai…?" I asked as we reached the top of the stairs. "What you said… Was it true?" He asked. "Ah… What exactly did I say…?" I asked, trying to hide my embarrassment. "You said… You loved me…" Kane said as he slumped to the floor. "Yeah… Of course it was" I said as serious as I could. "Then those letters in my locker…" Kane sighed. "Yeah… They were mine…" I admitted. "After all you have done… All it has served to do is make me realize how I truly feel about you…" Kane said lifelessly. _Ah… Does he…? Oh… He must hate me…_ "I love you as well… I constantly denied it to myself because I knew what was going to happen. I knew it would end up this way. But you are willing to accept it… You are willing to be with me…" Kane said lifelessly. "Yes… I do… It is love, it has to be. As long as you are with me, I won't have to worry about bullying… Or pranks… Because… I have more to fight for now than myself… That is my duty now… I will protect you… And win the student council election… Upperclassmen are only human… The playing ground is equal… I am done pretending… To be a knight… I will not allow them to manipulate me, or anyone else" Kane said as he pushed himself off me. "I will take charge of the school… And make it a better place for you, Asaoka… And the rest of the student population, I promise you… I will do it! I've been involved in so much corrupt activities since I've become a class representative. But it ends here!" Kane loudly declared. "Ah… Senpai, you must really be tired…" I said with a slight chuckle. "No, it's the exact opposite!" Kane declared loudly, although his body betrayed his words, his eyes were wide awake. "The whole school will probably turn against me" Kane started to laugh.

_I don't think I've ever heard him laugh like that… Normally it's always a cynical or domineering laugh with Senpai… But, this is truly a laugh of happiness…_

"But it's strange; I don't seem to care at all…" Kane said as his body started to slump to the floor. "Haha… I know I'm arrogant… But with your help, I'll be able to do it… I know I can." Kane said as he dropped to his knees. _He needs to get some rest!_ "That's right, but if you don't get some sleep Senpai, you won't be in any condition to run" I said as I lifted him up, and dragged him into his room. I dropped him on his bed, and helped him cover himself up.

"Asaoka… I need you to do me a favor… The knights need their orders… Use my terminal... I want them on standard watch duty… In the aqua capital. They are to assist any players that require assistance." Kane said as he began to fall asleep.

"Alright, Kane. Consider it done." I said seriously.

"And… Find James. Make sure he isn't looking for Tsukasa…" Kane said as he drifted to sleep.

All I could do was let out a heavy sigh of relief, as I plopped down in his computer chair. "What a day…" I sighed to myself. "James and I should have acted sooner… We may have prevented all of this… Although… I may not have been able to confess how I felt to him… And I wouldn't have heard him say…" I talked to myself as I watched Kane Slumber. "It wasn't all bad…" I said with a sigh of relief. "Although he's right… There are a lot of people at school who are picked on… Although I had no idea the cliché's of the upperclassmen had that kind of influence… Things are going to get difficult from here on…" I said with a heavy sigh. "I'll just have to keep my wits about me, and help Senpai as much as I can." I said as I as I turned on the monitor to his terminal. "Alright… Let's be careful… I don't want to discover anything he wants to keep hidden… After all he did trust me with the use of his terminal… It'd be rude of me to…" I mumbled to myself as I studied his desktop. "Basic background… And what's this…? Senpai never installed Altimit's standard browser? I guess he doesn't really care about browsing the net… Haha… That's just like him." I said with a chuckle. "So all he uses his terminal for is homework, and The World, huh?" I asked myself as I opened The World, and logged onto my account.

I appeared in Mac Anu, as Naito, my character in The World. I wasted no time opening up the guild chat menu, and ordering all Crimson Knights in squad one to assemble at the chaos gate in Mac Anu.

**Naito: Attention all knights positioned in Squad 1, you are to report to the chaos gate in Mac Anu, immediately.**

I stood next to the chaos gate, awaiting the other knights to make their appearance. Instead of the five knights that where with us last night. Nine unfamiliar looking Crimson Knights appeared next to me. "Something I can help you guys with?" I asked curiously. One of the knights stepped forward, I easily recognized him as Silver Knight, and he did not look pleased to see me. "Where is Stance?" He asked coldly. "Away. So I have assumed command of squad one" I said, trying to mimic Stance's commanding voice. "I have something we need to discuss in private. If you will please follow me" Silver Knight said as he gestured towards the chaos gate. "If you have anything to say, you can say it right here" I said with an annoyed tone. "I have no intention of embarrassing you in public like this; proper etiquette dictates that I take you aside. Now you will follow me, not as a request, but as an order; by a higher ranking knight" Silver Knight said harshly. I didn't say another word; instead I followed Silver Knight to **Δ**** Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground.**

"Your promotion is a slap in the face to all knights. You know very well, you did not deserve it" Silver knight said as I entered the area. "You shouldn't be concerned with what others are doing. Focus on your own squad" I snapped. "Your actions are not worthy enough for a promotion. Infact… You helped Stance with his disgraceful actions" Silver Knight. "I did as I was ordered, nothing more" I retorted. "You, and Stance, clearly do not possess the qualities of a knight" Silver Knight said with a condescending tone. "What!? How dare you… I may not have what it takes to be a knight, but Stance… Is more than capable!" I shouted as I drew my weapon, and charged forward. Silver Knight drew his blade, and easily blocked my attack, disarming me in the process. "You both are so quick to strike down fellow knights; you have no pride, and no honor." Silver Knight said as he shoved me to the floor. "By the authority of the Crimson Knights; supporters of system administration; both you, and your former captain are here by banished from the Crimson Knights. The vote was unanimous, so resistance is futile." Silver Knight said as he lowered his blade to my throat. "I will bind your character until you remove your uniform, and hand it over to me" Silver Knight threatened. "You're… You're kicking Stance from the Crimson Knights!?" I shouted in anger. "That is correct." Silver Knight said. "You… This is… This is what you wanted isn't it?" I said as I rose to my feet. "You both were removed by a unanimous vote. Perhaps if you two had a little more pride as a knight, and cared for our rules and regulations, you would not be in this situation. "Now, hand over your uniform. I will not hesitate to kill you, and if you should die while your character is bound here, you will be stuck in this area until an administrator can remove your ghost." Silver Knight threatened. "What about Subaru?! There is no way she would allow something like this!" I shouted. "The proper channels require Lady Subaru to approve all terminations… In other words, she approves of my actions. She agrees that Stance is no longer capable of performing his duties." Silver Knight sneered. "But… Why… Why would she…" I stammered. "I will not ask again, Silver Knight said as he neared my character. "Hand over your uniform" Silver Knight demanded; the red eyes on his helmet gave off an eerie red glow.

"Ohh… Look at you, aren't you a tough guy" A voice echoed from behind Silver Knight.

"What's this?" Silver Knight said as he turned around and readied his weapon. "Subaru?!" I couldn't help but gasp. "I am **not** Subaru!" The player shouted in disgust. "What… What are you doing here, Kaochin?" Silver Knight impatiently asked. "I was going to ask you the same question. It's not like this area is off limits. I go where I please" Kaochin said as she gestured around the area. "Listen to me, you pathetic mimic, you will stay out of official Crimson Knight business, do I make myself clear?" Silver Knight said as he brandished his blade. "Stay out of your business? That's kind of difficult since you're in the middle of a public area." Kaochin said with a chuckle. "It's not like you have control over who enters this area… Infact, it looks like you don't even have control over members of your own guild" Kaochin said with a giggle. "Do not make me repeat myself" Silver Knight said, obviously agitated by Kaochin's attitude. "You know, you really do piss me off. The way you act, the way you walk, hell… Even the way you speak just pisses me off to no end." Kaochin said as she readied her axe. "I'm going to bind this player; if you are in the area when I do so, you will be unable to leave." Silver Knight threatened. "That means you'll have no where to run either… Haha, this is going to be great. I'm going to peel the skin from your bones" Kaochin taunted. "I have given you fair warning. You will be bound along with this player." Silver Knight said as he used his administrative powers to lock down the area, meaning no one could leave. "Just what I wanted you to do…" Kaochin said in a soft voice as she neared. "You and I have fought a lot, you know" Kaochin said as she neared Silver Knight. And every single time, you needed some other dog to back you up." Kaochin said with a twisted smile. "We both know that you cannot win, just let me do my duty" Silver Knight said as he readied himself for combat. "No! Because I really don't think you know what its like to be out numbered. I don't think you know what its like to be beaten down by a group of enemies. You really have no idea what you've put me through do you?" Kaochin asked. "What's this? You mean to tell me you've got help?" Silver Knight asked. "Oh it's more than help…" Kaochin said with a twisted chuckle. "Don't try anything… I'll just call more knights to my side." Silver Knight threatened.

"All channels of communication other than local chat are cut off when you are inside an area that has been bound" A voice emerged from behind me.

"Huh!? What!?" Silver Knight turned in surprise to the new voice. "What the!? Stance!? What are you…?" Silver Knight grunted in anger. "What!? Senpai!?" I shouted in confusion. I lifted the HMD off my head, and glanced over at his bed. "Gone!?" I shouted. "Naito. Your shouting woke me up." Stance said as he picked up my weapon, and threw it to me. "Ah… But how are…" I asked in confusion. "I am using my sister's terminal" He said as took his position next to me. _He… But…_"Senpai… I'm sorry…" Was all I managed to say. "You do not need to apologize…" Stance said seriously "Lady Sub-… No! **Subaru** no longer has any use for me… So she just casts me aside… In the end, this is what my blind loyalty gets me…" Stance sadly admitted. "Stance… What are you doing?" Silver Knight demanded. "Something I should have done from the moment I started playing" Stance said as he left my side, and walked past Silver Knight. Stance turned and took his potion on Kaochin's left flank. "Stance…" Silver Knight gasped. Even he was surprised by what Stance was doing. "The moment I stepped foot into The World, Kaochin tried to tell me… She wanted to warn me about the Crimson Knights. Subaru cannot maintain control of her own guild, so in the end, it really is her fault. I should have quit the moment I came to realize how the knights treated not only her" Stance said as he gestured to Kaochin, "but others as well." Stance added. "Now… Maybe you will start to understand…" Kaochin said with a malevolent laugh. "Stance… How… Could you?" Silver Knight asked. "Do not act so surprised! Do not speak as if we are friends. Infact, do not speak at all. You have worn out your right not only to speak, but to live!" Stance said coldly. "If Subaru only thinks of me as a tool… Then… I will declare my loyalty, to Kaochin" Stance said as he kneeled to Kaochin. "Senpai…" I gasped. "Haha! You should see the look on your face!" Kaochin laughed aloud. "Now I've got my own knight, what do you think of that?" Kaochin said as she glared at Silver Knight. "This is…" Silver Knight said as he tried to maintain his composure. "Now, my loyal servant…" Kaochin said as she looked down to Stance. "Get rid of that ghastly armor. Show The World your true colors!" Kaochin commanded. "As you wish, Mistress Kaochin" Stance said as he stood up. His character faded away, only to be replaced by a dark and menacing character, clad in black armor; his helmet completely covered his face, and much like Silver Knight's his helmet; it possessed two dark and sinister horns. The mere sight of Stance's character now was enough to make Silver Knight recoil. "Yes! That is the character I remember!" Kaochin cheered. "Just look at him…" Kaochin said as she studied Stance's new persona. "Take a good look… Subaru's lap dog… Because you are looking at the downfall of the Crimson Knights" Kaochin cheered. "Stance you can't be serious…" Silver Knight said as he slowly backed away. "I am always serious… I have seen first hand how the majority of the knights treat other players… You are corrupt, you are all corrupt. You have forgotten the true mission of the Crimson Knights, and the original purpose of them." Stance said as he marched towards Silver Knight. "You are players, not system administrators… You are supposed to support players, not the system administration." Stance said as he drew his weapon. "And since you can't seem to get that through your thick skull… This world is better off without the knights" Stance said as he prepared to attack. Silver Knight was obviously shocked by all of this. He continued to walk backwards until he finally bumped right into me. He turned around ready to attack, but I wasted no time shoving him back towards Stance. "If Stance thinks the world would be better off without the Crimson Knights… Then I'll support him all the way!" I shouted as I removed my Crimson Knight uniform, and readied my weapon.

"Now this is what I'd call an unexpected event." A voice emerged from atop the altar. Everyone below looked up to see who was up there, I did not recognize the player, but Stance obviously did. "Kasey!?" he shouted. The petite woman leapt from the altar, and landed next to Stance. "I get home late from work, and what do I find?" Kasey said as she playfully studied Stance. "Looks like you found your ring of power" Kasey said with a light chuckle, her attitude completely betrayed the severity of the situation. "So, going against the Crimson Knights, are you Stance?" Kasey asked as playfully spun around Stance. "It took a lot for me to see the truth…" Stance coldly admitted. "Well… I came here with the intention of helping the Crimson Knight…" Kasey said as she continued to twirl around Stance. "But this seems much more interesting!" She suddenly stopped and readied her daggers. "Hey… You're that girl from before! The one who attacked me!" Kaochin shouted as she pointed to Kasey. _Stance really does have… A lot of friends… As odd as they are…_ "Oh get over it will you? Don't take things so personally" Kasey said with a light hearted chuckle. "Well… As long as you're on my side…" Kaochin said as she stepped forward. Silver Knight was surrounded, Kasey, and Kaochin where covering him from the left, and right; while Stance and I blocked him from the front, and rear. Silver Knight was obviously frustrated by the situation; he glared around at all the players surrounding him. Kasey was the first to act; she jumped up into the air, and threw both of her daggers at Silver Knight. Both of them hit Silver Knight in his right arm. He cried out in pain, but before he could act, I saw my opportunity. So I ran forward, and sliced his right hand clean off, his weapon fell with it. Silver Knight Dropped to his knees. Kaochin ran forward, and drove her axe into his back, causing a great deal of damage, and nearly killing him. Silver Knight's nearly dead body was launched forward, to Stance. Silver Knight didn't have the strength to stand, let alone resist. It was actually pathetic to see him like this. But all I had to do was remind myself what he, and the other knights did to Stance, and the guilt faded. "Go on, Stance! Do as I command! Make him suffer" Kaochin commanded. "He deserves it, right? Go on" Kasey said, encouraging him. Although they both were telling Stance to finish him off. His attention was focused on me, and I could easily see through those holes in his helmet. I could tell he was looking straight at me, not Naito… But me; in reality. _ Does he want me to encourage him…? Or stop him…? _ I looked deeper into his eyes, and I realized what it was he truly wanted. And it was simple: Acceptance. I ran past the shouting Kaochin, and Kasey, and grabbed Stance's arm. "I don't care what you do. I'll accept you no matter what." I said as gripped the edge of his sword. Stance firmly nodded to me, then entrusted his sword to me. He grabbed Silver Knight by the neck, and effortlessly lifted him into the air. "Mark my words, Silver Knight… I will make sure you feel this pain… This sense of loss… The Crimson Knights will fall, and when you are on the ground, desperately trying to gather the pieces, I will be there… Despite what you may believe, you are just a player, and that puts us on an equal playing field." Stance said as he walked with Silver Knight in tow. He dangled Silver Knight over the edge of the bridge; the only thinking supporting Silver Knight, was Stance's choke hold. "This will be the last mistake you ever make… Because you now have me as an enemy… I do not know what happened to you, Silver Knight… But with every fiber of my being… I hate you…" Stance said coldly as he tightened his grip. "And if Stance hates you, then I do as well." I said as I shoved Stance's sword through his gut. "Yes… That's it" Kaochin said as she clapped her hands. "You know… That would have been really romantic, if it wasn't for the violence, and all that" Kasey said as she retrieved her daggers from Silver Knight's arm. Stance tightened his grip, and at the same time, removed Silver Knight's helmet with his free hand. As he threw Silver Knight's helmet off into the abyss below, I grabbed Stance's sword which was resting in the gut of Silver Knight, and gave it a good twist, before pulling it from his body. Now we could clearly see Silver Knight's face. It was turning purple, and his health was rapidly depleting. The look in his eyes, were pure horror, he frantically convulsed, and pointed at Stance, while trying to scream. _Is he… That scared…? _I started to feel bad for him, when Kasey suddenly shouted from behind.

"What the!? What is that!?" She shouted. "What the hell is that thing!?" Kaochin shouted. "Stance and I turned around to see a large purple gelatinous creature forming the shape of a barbell. It held a small bracelet in the center of it, and it was closing in on Stance, and I.

"What the!? That was the thing with Tsukasa!" Stance shouted. The creature let out a low cry, and attacked. A tentacle emerged from the creature, and zeroed in on Stance. "Senpai!" I cried out in fear. Stance threw me to the ground, and shielded himself with Silver Knight. The creature slowly lifted Silver Knight into the air; he cried out in pain as a strange light surrounded his body. The creature finished its attack, and then dropped Silver Knight into the abyss below. "What the hell is going on?" Kaochin shouted. "We can't beat it! Everyone get out of here!" Stance shouted. The creature slowly floated down to our group, it got close enough for me to target; It's HP, and SP values were outrageous; unlike anything I had ever seen. The creature was oddly named: **Aurora Gaze.** "That's a heck of a lot of HP…" Kasey said in awe. "No… Mistress Kaochin, Kasey, get back!" Stance said as he jumped forward toward the monster. The monster simply split apart, when Stance neared, making his attack useless. "We cannot beat it! We have to get out of here, before it kills us!" Stance shouted. _That is… That is Tsukasa's monster?! _"You don't need to tell me twice! I'm outta' here!" Kasey shouted as she gated out of the area. Tentacles started to emerge from the creature again, and it turned towards Kaochin, reading to attack. "I… I… Ah… I won't forget this! Come on, Stance, Let's go!" Kaochin commanded as she left the area. The creature slowly turned towards me. "Asaoka, Go, get out of here." Stance commanded. "You're coming too, right?" I shouted. "There is no way I can beat this! Get out of here before it…" Stance couldn't finish his sentence; the creature started its charge towards me. Stance intercepted it, and managed to land a hit, splitting the creature in two. "Go now! I'll follow, once you're safe" Stance commanded. I didn't argue with him, I immediately gated out of the area.

"Where's Stance?" Kaochin asked as I appeared in Mac Anu. "He'll be coming soon" I said worriedly. _What's taking him…? Ahh… No… It didn't knock him out again did it…? _Just as I was going to take off my HMD, and check on Kane, he appeared beside me. "Ah! Senpai!" I shouted in relief. I couldn't stop myself from hugging him as he sighed with relief. "That was a close call…" Stance sighed with relief as he returned my hug. "What happened to Kasey?" He asked worriedly. "That idiotic girl ran off when I got here" Kaochin said as she eyed Mac Anu. "Sounds like she's just fine" Stance sighed in relief. "Just what was that thing?" Kaochin shouted. "Haven't you read the boards?" I interjected before Stance could respond. "No, I don't waste my time like that" Kaochin said as she shot me a cold glare. "It's bugged up monster" I said recalling the post I read. _Although it's a lie… I think its better like this; after all I still don't think Stance wants the entire playerbase learning about what Tsukasa can do._ "Yes, when the servers are taken offline for maintenance, sometimes the monsters "glitch up." Stance said, backing up my lie. "Figures… The system administration can't even do their job" Kaochin said as she rolled her eyes.

"Ah, Senpai; you should go back to sleep, your body needs rest!" I said worriedly to Stance. "Wait a second, what's all this? Why are you addressing him as "Senpai?" Just who are you?" Kaochin said as she stomped over to me. "Mistress Kaochin… She is…" Kane said trying to stop us from fighting. I pushed Stance out of the way, "I'm his girl friend" I boldly declared. "What!? You!?" Kaochin said in utter amazement. "Yes, me! And Stance is injured, and needs his rest!" I shouted. "Don't you take that tone with me!" Kaochin shouted as she grabbed my collar. "And I'm telling you to lay off, Stance may have become your knight, but he still needs rest!" I shouted as I grabbed Kaochin's collar. "Ah… Wait a moment…" Stance said trying to tear us from each other. "You keep out of this!" Kaochin and I shouted at Stance. Stance jumped back at our shouting. "Stop ordering me around; I call the shots here!" Kaochin yelled. "Stance won't be able to follow any of your commands if he doesn't get any sleep; he isn't healthy right now!" I shouted as I shook Kaochin. She pushed me away from her, and glared at Stance. "Is that true?" She asked with her typical condescending tone. "Well… I… I… I have not been feeling well recently…" Stance stammered. "See!?" I shouted. Kaochin looked as though she'd attack me, but we were inside a root town, so it was useless to even try. "Fine! Stance, you're no good to me unless you can do what I ask! Go, and get some rest!" Kaochin yelled, taking charge of the situation. "Uh… As you command, Mistress Kaochin" Stance said with a deep bow. "Humph!" Kaochin grunted before she warped out of the area. I turned to Stance, and asked. "You… You're serving her now?" I asked. "We both want to see the end of the Crimson Knights… I needed an ally…" Stance said as he looked away from me. "I see… But what about me?" I asked seriously. "You've already stated what you are to me; infact I believe half of Mac Anu now knows" Stance said as he gestured around himself. "Oh… I'm sorry about that Senpai… I don't know what came over me" I said, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Oh! Senpai! It's already late, you need to get some sleep, right now! I'll come help you back to your bed." I said worriedly. "Ah… Thank you, I nearly fell on my way to my sister's room" Stance said bashfully before his character disappeared. I tossed the HMD back on Kane's desk, and flipped off his terminal.

"Ah, thank you" Kane sighed as I helped him stand. "You should have told me... Why did you just get up and leave?" I asked. "I tried too… But I couldn't get your attention, I even tried shaking you." Kane explained. "Oh… I guess I got caught up in the moment" I said bashfully. "That was… Tsukasa's monster…" Kane sighed to himself. "Yeah… But I didn't see anyone else there… Unless he was in the cathedral" I added. "No… It was empty… The creature chased me in there… But… There is something wrong… Tsuaksa's monster was yellow…" Kane said. "Oh? Does he have multiple versions of them?" I asked. "Maybe… But Subaru said…" Kane stopped himself when he realized what he had said. "It's possible there are more people out there with these kinds of monsters." He said; regaining his composure. "The monster… It got Silver Knight didn't it?" Kane asked. "I… uh… Yeah… I think it did…" I sadly admitted. "That was not my intention… I just… The monster caught me off guard… And then the tentacles where coming for me… I did the only thing I could do… I should apologize… But to be honest… I do not really regret it… Infact I think it is a fitting punishment for Silver Knight." Kane coldly admitted.

_ Yeah… I thought so… He's pretty beat up about being kicked out of the knights… Not to mention… Subaru just… She… I know he's trying to hide it… But it's written all over his face… Senpai… Stop keeping things to yourself…_ "I see… Well… Senpai, you are injured, and you need to get to bed" I said as I helped him into his room. As before, I helped him onto the bed and cover up. "Are you sure, you do not want me to sleep downstairs? The sofa is far too uncomfortable for you." Kane said worriedly. "That's fine I don't intend to sleep on it anyway" I said seriously. "Ah? Then where will you…" Kane asked curiously. "Right here of course; now move over" I said seriously. "Wait! What?!" Kane shouted in surprise. "Keep your voice down; I have to make sure you sleep, I don't want you sneaking over and playing The World while I'm asleep. Plus, that sofa is really uncomfortable; it's nice of you to think of me, and offer to sleep on it… But that'd be bad for anyone's back. So the only option left is your bed" I explained to him. "But… I… Ah…" Kane stammered. "Just move over…" I sighed as I pushed him further into the bed, and got comfortable. "This is so unethical…" Kane sighed. "Oh? Why's that?" I asked curiously. "Sleeping in the same bed as my assistant…" Kane said as he hid his beet red face. "Hey! You said I was more to you than an assistant!" I shouted in surprise. "Do not take it the wrong way, Asaoka" Kane tried to explain himself. "You said you loved me as well… Well alright then… Prove it!" I commanded. "What? Prove it? How am I supposed to do that?" Kane asked with an annoyed tone. "Kiss me" I commanded. "Kiss you? Haha…" Kane said with a chuckle. "You… Are overstepping your boundaries, now Asaoka" Kane said seriously. "Do not forget… I am your class representative…" Kane added.

I was at a loss for words… All I could do was stare at Kane's serious expression with a dumbfounded look on my face. "But… Then again… Most class representative do not sleep together with their assistants" Kane said as he grabbed me by the chin, and kissed me. It wasn't exactly glamorous, but it did confirm his feelings for me. When we parted he quickly tuned over "That was my first time… So no complaining; now follow your own advice, and go to sleep" Kane commanded. "Ah… Yes… Senpai…" I said happily.


	10. Chapter 10

**(The largest chapter to date, contains nearly double the amount of words that previous chapters contained. That being said, I made this chapter so long, because Vision's chapter's and sign's episodes were out of sync; I was so annoyed I made one chapter the size of two just to fix it! Hope you enjoy Chapter 10)**

**.Hack****//**** Vision**

Chapter 10: Condemned

(Episodes nine, and ten of Sign.)

Important events in the .hack Timeline:

Perspective: Asaoka/ Stance

"I know you had it last night… But it's all you really got at the moment, Senpai" I said as I handed Kane a bowl of rice. "It is fine. I need to do some shopping anyway" Kane said seriously. "You have enough money for food right?" I asked worriedly. "Of course. My parents are kind enough to send enough money to pay the rent, and buy food with" Kane explained. "But… Then why do you have a job…?" I asked as I handed him a small bowl of miso soup. "Normally only students that are in financial trouble are allowed to have part time jobs" I added. "The school administration is not aware, that is how I am able to keep it" Kane explained. "Ah... But… I still don't get why you have a job if you don't need it" I said. "I told you last night, did I not? I had to lobby, and bribe other class representatives to get them to vote a certain way" Kane explained. "Ah… Oh… So you actually gave them money?" I asked curiously. "For some of them, it was that simple. But other representatives were more complex. "Oh? What did they want" I asked curiously. "I'd rather not think about it" Kane said, hoping I'd drop the conversation, but his reluctance to answer my question only made me more curious. "Oh… Come on… You can trust me" I said seriously. Kane let out a long sigh; he obviously knew I was not going to stop pestering him. "Do you remember last year, when the entire school and surrounding areas were evacuated?" Kane asked. "Yeah… I think… Ah… Oh yeah! Someone said they found a bomb" I said; recalling the events. "The person who reported the alleged bomb was a member of the student council. Naturally the school believed him." Kane said as he sipped his miso soup. "Oh… But… How were you involved?" I asked. "He wanted the answers to an upcoming exam." Kane said. "Oh… So you snuck into the school while everyone was evacuated?" I asked curiously. "I hid myself out on the roof, once everyone was gone, I went inside, and got what he wanted. It was a good cover… With a hasty evacuation, the teacher wouldn't be too surprised to find his desk in shambles, so I didn't have to worry about leaving any clues. He would just think it was his students trying to get out" Kane said thoughtfully. _Wow… I mean… Just… _"Unbelievable" I gasped. "Originally I had wanted to sneak into the school at night; when no one was there" Kane explained. "That does sound easier" I nodded. "But he didn't trust me. The whole threat was really just a way for him to cover his own ass. If I was caught inside the school after all the students left… The teachers and police officers would no doubt have accused me of being a bomber" Kane sighed. "Wow… I mean… I never knew…" I gasped. _All of that trouble, for the answer key to a test…_ "You seem pretty surprised" Kane said as he studied my expression. "Well… Yeah… Wouldn't anyone?" I nearly shouted. "You don't even know what I got out of the deal" Kane said seriously. "It was the tennis team. They wanted to cut their budget" Kane said with a large smirk. "What!?" I shouted in surprise. "Our budget's low enough! Sometimes our players have to use their own money to buy equipment!" I shouted in anger. "I know. You used to complain about it during our morning duties." Kane said, trying to calm me down. "The council had already cut the track team's budget, and completely dissolved the philosophy club. I was able to get a little over half the council to vote against their next two decisions, and that was to cut the tennis team's budget, and dissolve the literature club" Kane explained. "I… Why didn't you tell me?" I sighed. "It never came up during conversation, not to mention; if you knew I was sneaking into the school like that… You'd stop me" Kane said with a shrug. "Maybe so, but since it was for the tennis team, I would have helped you!" I scolded him. "I do not mean this as an insult, but you do not look like the type of person I would want sneaking into a school…" Kane said awkwardly. "Infact… You can take that as a compliment" Kane added with a yawn. "Ah! But I could have helped some other way! Like being a lookout or something… I could have given you a radio or something, and supported you like that!" I said. "There were still teachers inside the building, they'd hear me if I used a radio, not only that; the police officers might use the same frequency as us" Kane said shooting my ideas down. "Ah! But they have those new headsets now for phones! The ads say they're real quiet… Oh! I could put together a cool looking suit for you to sneak in!" I said as I studied Kane. "Yeah… We could get you a bandanna! All real men wear a bandanna at one point in their life." I said thoughtfully. "You've been watching too many American movies" Kane said with a sigh. "Even better! We could get you an eye patch, now that would look cool" I said picturing Stance wearing an eye patch. "Non-sense. I would look ridiculous" Kane chuckled. "A suit is more my style anyway" Kane said to himself as he stood up from the sofa. "Oh! Like a secret agent! So you prefer class and sophistication over brute force huh?" I asked curiously. "Of course I do. Does not everyone?" Kane asked with a puzzled expression. "Either one would work I suppose" I said thoughtfully. "But a bandanna seems more suited for a solider of fortune… And that's not me, at all" Kane said with a slight smirk. "You'd still look pretty cool with one on" I grumbled to myself. "I'm going to change" Kane said as he limped over to the stairs. "You need any help?" I asked with a wink. "Of course not!" Kane snapped back. "Oh… Be sure you wear something casual!" I shouted to Kane. "Casual?" Kane asked curiously. "Yes, your foot may be better, but you still need help, we'll go shopping together." I said seriously.

"Ah… Senpai… That's not exactly casual…" I couldn't help but laugh. "I do not "do" casual" Kane was obviously annoyed with my laughter._ I asked him to dress casually, but… He's wearing a complete suit… It looks good… But it's not what anyone would consider casual._ "You don't have anything less formal?" I asked seriously. Kane lowered his head, and examined his clothing. He undid his tie, and tossed it aside. "This is as casual as it gets" He said in a stern voice. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "If that's your idea of casual, what's your idea of formal?" I jokingly asked. Kane got serious and started walking back to his room, but I quickly grabbed his hand. "No! Don't worry about it!" I said as I pulled him back downstairs.

There was a knock at the door, Kane stood from the sofa, but I pushed him back down "You need to rest; I'll get it" I scolded him. I opened the door. "Hey, Kane…" James started but kept his mouth shut when he noticed me standing at the door. "I… Didn't know you lived in the same complex as Kane…" He said awkwardly. "Oh… It's just you. James, how are you?" I asked as warmly as I could. "I… Could have sworn this was Kane's apartment…" James said as he held his head. "Oh, it is" I said cheerfully. "Ah… But it's so early… Why are you…?" James asked. "Oh… Oh man… Mom was right… I've slept my entire childhood away" James said sorrowfully. "Calm down. Kane's inside, come on" I chuckled.

"Hey Kane, you feeling better" James asked as he sat down next to him. "Much, thanks to the two of you. Although I must admit it is strange to see you up this early; perhaps you are the one who requires aid" Kane said worriedly. "Ha, I actually got to sleep pretty early last night. I just couldn't get into my "zone" last night, so I went to bed early" James said dismissively. "I came by to see how things were going. But from the looks of things, Asaoka here has everything taken care of." James said with his typical smirk. "Yes well, you came by at an opportune time" Kane said. "Oh yeah? Why's that?" James asked curiously. "I have something that I need to explain to you" Kane said. "Oh boy, you've got that look" James sighed. "What look?" Kane asked curiously. "The "I'm about to explain something that will blow your mind" look" James said with a sigh. "There is a look?" Kane asked curiously. "Oh yeah, there's tons of them" James said. "There is the "Don't bother me, I'm working" look. The "That's a touchy subject, I don't wanna talk about it" look. The very scary "I'm going to break your bones if you don't leave me alone" look." James explained while simultaneously counting with his fingers. "Oh… Hey yeah! That's the break your bones look!" James said as he pointed at Kane's expression. "Anyway… What's up?" James asked seriously. "James; I will be running in the up coming student council election." Kane explained. "Oh? So those rumors are true, huh?" James asked with a smirk. Kane and I exchanged an awkward glance. "Rumors…?" I asked curiously. "Yeah, Hagiya asked me about it last night over the phone. I didn't know it was true though" James explained. "If Hagiya knows… Then, it's safe to assume the rumor has become common knowledge" Kane sighed aloud. "Well yeah… Normally the elections have two upperclassmen as candidates… An underclassman announcing his candidacy… Well… Of course it'd start rumors" James said nonchalantly. "I have a feeling Monday is going to be… "One of those days" Kane sighed to himself. "Hey, hold on. I must be missing something, what's with all the sighing?" James asked. "James. How well versed are you with the student council and its activities?" Kane asked. "They're there to help, and plan student activities right? Oh! And I think they are also the ones who approve school clubs, and decide their budgets, right?" James asked. Kane simply shook his head with James' response. "It's not quite that simple" I said. "Oh? Is there more?" James asked. "In your case, I suppose ignorance actually is bliss" Kane sighed. "Ah… Well… Please enlighten me" James said as he rolled his eyes.

…

"Sheesh… So… That's it, huh?" James asked in disbelief. "And you… Well I would have never guessed…" James added. "It's an ugly truth that most people would choose to ignore." I said. Everyone has grown so used to it… A group of popular students finds a student displeasing; so they start to insult them, others join in just to appease the popular ones." Kane explained. "It's no different anywhere else I suppose. These kinds of things happened back in America" James said with a sigh. "But I'm kind of surprised you just went along with it Kane…" James said with a sigh. "The guilt should be punishment enough. I am only human after all; I make mistakes like everyone else. But unlike everyone else; I am trying to change how everything works" Kane explained. "That's true. So, what are your chances?" James asked. "Right now? Somewhere between slim, and none" I said with a sigh. "That bad?" James asked, obviously surprised by my answer. "The way I see it… The major clique's and groups within the school have already decided who the next president will be. Normally there are only one or two candidates, and those candidates most likely belong to one of the major cliques. Infact I have even heard rumors about candidates running unopposed, mind you these are only rumors" Kane explained. "Normally a senior runs for the presidential position, because his social status is higher than the rest of the schools, I do not need to explain that to you. The student council holds power over a many number of things, it's only natural that these cliques would want to keep the council under their control." Kane explained. "Right, right. It's no different than two political parties" James said with a nod. "Republicans and Democrats" James said with a shrug. "Wow, I'm pretty impressed, James" I said honestly. "Yeah, I get that a lot" James said with a sly grin. "Yes, and just like your Republicans, and Democrats, these cliques do not give a damn, about anyone other than those in their own cliques." Kane said. "I do not belong to any cliques, so my candidacy would be a monkey wrench thrown inside their well oiled machine" Kane explained. "I obviously do not have their best interest in mind; rather I have the school's" Kane added. "Yeah, but even if you win the election, wouldn't the class representatives vote the way the major cliques told them to? You may be the president, but majority still rules" James said. "That's true. But that majority rule system was implemented recently, most likely to ensure that even if the presidential position was held by an outsider, they could still maintain control over most of the council's activities" Kane explained. "When I'm elected, I'll simply remove their role with the council, giving me absolute control. "Oh, like a dictator" James chuckled. "Correct. But it must be done if anything is to change" Kane said with a shrug. "Well… You said your chances were pretty bad, right? How do you plan to pull it off?" James asked seriously. "We will start at the bottom of the food chain; with the freshmen. If anyone wants these cliques out of power, it will be them" Kane explained. "The juniors, will probably be less reluctant to help, considering some of them have already begun to associate themselves with the cliques in power. And the only votes we'll get from the senior class, are from those who do not associate with any of the cliques" Kane explained. "Sounds like your only chance of winning, is getting the majority of the freshmen, and juniors to vote for you" James said with a yawn. "It will be difficult, but it is achievable. The number of people, who want change, outnumbers the rest of the school. Although the voting process is completely anonymous, people's actions can still be swayed" Kane explained. "So what are you going to do to help persuade people to vote for you?" James asked. "Do not concern yourself with the details" Kane said, dismissing the question. "Oh… So it's like that eh? Well… Do what'cha gotta do" James said with a shrug. "That being the case… Some of the upperclassmen have already discovered I plan to run; infact since news has reached Hagiya, chances are; the entire school knows by now" Kane said with a sigh. "That's true… He's got quite a mouth" James said with a nod. "To make matters worse; I have a feeling come Monday, my little secret is going to be come common knowledge" Kane said with a sigh. "What little secret… Oh… You mean that whole ordeal with your sister?" James asked. "Correct, one of the seniors on the tennis team was apparently able to procure a newspaper containing an article about the event. To make matters worse, this newspaper used my full name, so simply lying my way out of it is not an option" Kane sighed to himself. "The race hasn't even started, and already you've come to an obstacle" James said with a sigh. "Man, this is getting depressing" James said. "Well I am afraid it does not get any better. I am positive that once my candidacy has been confirmed, and it will once you relay this news to Hagiya. The bullying will start again, and if it is anything like it was my first year… Those who associate with me will be targeted as well." Kane explained. "Save it" James said with a yawn. "You're going to give some speech on how I shouldn't hang around with you anymore, and to be honest I'm on the verge of falling asleep Kane" James said with a yawn. "You know I've never really cared what others think, they're gonna bully me for hanging out with you? Oh well" James said with a shrug. "I'll still have friends" James said with a smirk. "I… Was actually going to tell you to watch your back as you entered, and left school" Kane said seriously. "Huh? Why's that?" James asked curiously. "My first year they loved to drop buckets of water on me as I entered school, they would also try and drop heavy objects on me as I left" Kane said seriously. "That's despicable…" I sighed. "Oh… Uh… Thanks for the advice…" James said awkwardly. "You would not just abandon me like that. I know you better than that, James. If I had any doubt in your integrity, then I would not even bother to speak to you" Kane said. "Oh, so you've got it all figured out, huh?" James chuckled. "You are just too predictable" I mimicked Kane as he spoke, right down to his overconfident hand gestures. James and Kane chuckled at my perfect imitation.

"So… That's it huh?" James asked. "Oh no, I have more bad news" Kane said as he shook his head. "Oh man…" James sighed. "Yesterday Asaoka and I were kicked out of the Crimson Knights" Kane said seriously. "You? You of all people, were kicked from the Crimson Knights?" James asked in utter disbelief. _I don't blame him… I'd have trouble believing it too, if I wasn't there to see it myself…_ "Asaoka and I both were… It was a unanimous; approved by Subaru herself" Kane explained. "Wait, so Subaru actually approved of it?" James asked. "Before I logged on last night to assist Asaoka, I glanced through my inbox. Indeed; I had received an email from Subaru; the subject simply stating: Termination" Kane explained. "Man… But why?" James asked. "I do not know. Perhaps she no longer finds me useful… It would really like to forget the whole ordeal" Kane said sadly. "Oh man… I never saw this one coming…" James sighed. "What are you gonna do now?" James asked. "I… I am helping Kaochin" Kane said seriously. "Oh you have to be kidding me. Kane… You know what she's like…" James sighed. "I have been in contact with Kaochin longer than you have, Dash. You would be surprised what a prolonged rivalry can do too two people. I have always tried to assist her, but what can you do when the general population of your guild constantly attacks her for "stealing" a look?" Kane asked. "The Crimson Knights are becoming to power hungry. Silver Knight and the rest of the guild seem to think they have become some kind of administrative authority… I am beginning to see why Crim left, and it really pisses me off that someone like him saw all of this coming, and I could not." Kane snapped. "Kane… She'll treat you like some kind of slave… Not to mention, she's a pretty big Player Killer" James sighed. "The way she treats me is of no concern to you, James. She may treat me as a slave, but deep down I can tell she is overjoyed to finally have a genuine ally. Befriend the friendless; that is something you have taught me, is it not?" Kane asked seriously. "Look, that's not what's bothering me, infact me and Kaochin kind of had a moment too you know? Even got her member address… What I want to know: is what I'm supposed to do when I see you and her PKing or something" James asked. "Simply play the game. That is what I would do. It is like I said before… I would not take it personally if you were to attack me. I know that player killing will warrant a response by those who defend players" Kane said seriously. "Well… If that's the case… You know I won't hold back right?" James smirked. "If you think you can muster up the strength to challenge one of Mistress Kaochin's knights; then I welcome your challenge" Kane boldly declared. "Not just one of her knights, but two" I boldly declared along with Kane. "Wait, you too Asaoka?" James sighed. "Of course; I'll go where Senpai goes" I said seriously. "But… Two on one is hardly fair" James protested. "That may be, but we are no longer bound by a code of honor, nor do we care for proper ethics or morality" Kane explained. "In other words; you're evil" James sighed. "Right" Kane and I nodded in unison. "Oh boy…" James sighed. "Well hey, I'm gonna get going. I think I have band practice…" James said as he stood up. "You "think"?" Kane asked. "It's pretty hard keeping up with band practice, along with everything else" James sighed. "Yes, I imagine so" Kane said sarcastically. "I'll see you two later" James said as he left Kane's apartment.

"You didn't tell him about that monster, why Senpai?" I asked Kane as left his apartment. "I do not want him worrying about it" Kane said. "Ah… Well… What do you plan to do about it?" I asked. "Right now? Nothing… Before I was kicked from the Crimson Knights, Subaru told me; that the system administration has begun to pursue Tsukasa" Kane explained. "You trust her?" I asked curiously. "She wouldn't lie about this… If the cobalt knights have taken interest in Tsukasa, he'll be caught" I said seriously. "Cobalt Knights…?" I asked. _Cobalt Knights… Just like from the epitaph of twilight…_ "Not many people know of them; they work for CC corp. as debuggers, if it's illegal; they'll do just about anything to delete it." Kane explained. "But how do you know about them?" I asked. "Well… They tried to recruit Subaru, and myself. I think Crim, and Silver Knight were asked as well…" Kane explained. "You refused huh?" I asked. "We all did. I mean… To me, The World stopped being entertaining, and it became a job. But I had time to myself, and it wasn't so bad being a Crimson Knight… If I joined up as a Cobalt Knight… I'd be getting paid, to do nothing but run around, and debug The World. I was already frustrated with running around combating Player Killers and such… There was no way I would have lasted" Kane explained. "I understand what you're saying… You wanted to keep The World aside purely for pleasure" I said with a nod. "That was the idea" Kane said. "Oh… By the way, Asaoka…? I have a quick errand to run before I head out and shop for food" Kane said. "Oh? Where too?" I asked curiously. "The hospital. I want to see my sister" Kane said. "Alright, I'll go with you!" I said with a nod.

"Ah… Good morning Takeshi-san. I hope you are feeling better after last night's events" The receptionist said politely. "I am more worried about my sister, may I please see her?" Kane asked. "Oh yes of course! Just go on back" The receptionist said politely. I followed Kane back to the patient's room. He seemed to know his way around, which makes sense; as he must visit often. "So, will you tell her?" I asked curiously. "Tell her what?" Kane asked as he stopped his pace, and turned to me. "About the knights; she seemed pretty found of them" I said timidly. "I will tell her the truth" Kane said seriously. "Oh… Well I suppose that's the best course of action" I said with a nod. "She can tell when I am lieing. A trait she has inherited from her mother" Kane explained. "She's nothing like her mother" Natsuko sighed as she seemingly appeared from no where. "I am speaking of our actual mother. Not the woman you spoke to last night" Kane said. "Oh… Two mothers? What happened to the first?" Natsuko asked. "Died: when we were younger" Kane said sternly. "So I've heard… Deadly Flash was it?" Natsuko asked. "You are correct" Kane nodded. _Deadly Flash… I… I never knew… _"Well, Kane. I'd like to discuss something rather important with you, if you'll please come with me" Natsuko said rather coldly. "Just as I had predicted" Kane sighed. "Very well." Kane sighed. "Asaoka. Yoko's room is just down the hall; please keep her company while I talk with Natsuko. "Ah… Alright Senpai…" I nodded. Kane followed Natsuko into a nearby room, and I made my way to Yoko's room.

Ah… Hello?" I sheepishly asked as I entered Yoko's room. Kane's sister; Yoko was lying in a typical hospital bed facing the window. She was awake, but she did not notice me, as her attention was focused on the scenery outside. "Ah… Excuse me" I said with a higher tone. Yoko turned to face me, and gave me a puzzled expression. "Ah… Are you… Yeah… You came to visit Oniichan before, right?" She asked. "Ah yes, I am Yuuko Asaoka. It's nice to be properly introduced" I said with a bow. "Wow… It's so nice to meet one of Oniichan's friends… Ah! Come closer" Yoko beckoned. "You seem to be looking better" I said cheerfully as I neared her bed. "Ah? Better?" She asked with a puzzled expression. "Yes, I came with your brother last night; to make sure you were alright" I explained. "Oh! I'm way better! Last night was nothing!" Yoko said as she stood up on top of her bed. "Ah… Yes… Calm down now, you wouldn't want to fall" I said trying to calm her down. _She certainly is lively… _

Yoko and I talked quite a bit. Although most of it was about her brother, that really didn't bother me. She told me some stories Kane used to tell her about his time as A Crimson Knight; which only worsened my fear of he being disappointed when she found at her brother was not only kicked from the guild… But is now fighting against it as well…

"Yoko!" Kane said sharply as he burst into the room. His interruption made me jump from my chair in surprise; Yoko on the other hand, hopped down from her bed, and glared at Kane with the straightest face she could muster. "Good morning, Oniichan!" Yoko said with a militaristic salute. "And just what is so good about it?" Kane asked he leaned forward and glared into Yoko's face. "I get to see you, Oniichan!" Yoko squealed as she jumped forward and latched onto Kane. "That's right" Kane said as he hugged his little sister. "But…" Kane suddenly stopped, and sat Yoko down on her hospital bed. "You just got out of surgery, you cannot be bouncing around; you need your rest" Kane scolded. "Naw, I'm fine!" Yoko said cheerfully. "Are you now?" Kane asked. "They had to get at your heart; did they not? You may cause the stitches in you to tear, and if that were to happen everything in your chest would come spilling out." Kane explained. Yoko tensed up at the thought. Although I think Kane is exaggerating… "Now lay down, and let your body heal up before you start bouncing around" Kane commanded. "Yes sir!" Yoko said with a salute as she plopped down on her bed, and covered herself with the blanket. "They did use the same spot, right?" Kane asked worriedly. "Yeah, I think so" Yoko nodded. "It is bad enough you have that one scar already… They do not need to add to it" Kane sighed. "Ah! Oniichan! This is your friend right?" Yoko said as she pointed over to me. "Yes. You have not been causing Asaoka any trouble have you?" Kane asked. "Ah! No way! Yuuko-Neesan is great!" Yoko shouted. "You know it is not polite to use someone's first name without their permission" Kane sighed. "Oh, it's no problem! Me, and Yoko-Chan have a lot in common" I said reassuringly. "Yeah, Oniichan! And why aren't you using her first name? She is your friend isn't she?" Yoko shouted back. "Hey… That's a pretty good question" I said turning to Kane. "You first name…? You do not find it informal enough that I do not, bother to use an honorific? You should consider yourself lucky" Kane sighed. "You don't have to be formal with me, Senpai! Didn't we both confess to each other how we felt?" I asked. "Ah! Oniichan if that's true then you have to!" Yoko shouted. "I have to? Why is that?" Kane asked, obviously annoyed by Yoko, and I ganging up on him. "That's the rules!" Yoko retorted. "What rules?" Kane asked seriously. "She's right, Senpai… You have to follow the rules" I said seriously. "What rules are you talking about?" Kane asked, obviously becoming agitated. "I can't believe you don't know the rules, Oniichan" Yoko sighed. "It's not too surprising is it? How would he know the rules, just look at him" Natsuko chuckled as she entered the room. "You should be cleaning up after some old and dying man, should you not?" Kane snapped. Before Natsuko could respond, a small pager went off inside her pocket. "You had better pray, that's not what I think it is" Natsuko said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pager. "You know Kane… You're a real asshole sometimes" Natsuko pouted. "You should get going" Kane sneered. "Nurses are no different than garbage men; Damnit all… I hate my job" Natsuko sighed as she left the room. "Wow… How did you know?" I gasped. "I over heard some nurses out in the hall talking about it. It pays to be observant" Kane chuckled. "Now, will someone please explain these rules?" Kane asked. "There are too many rules to just explain them!" Yoko shouted. "You two do not even know what you are talking about" Kane sighed. "Yes I do! One of the rules clearly states you have to call loved ones by their first name!" Yoko said as she stood up on top of her bed. "What did I tell you about resting?!" Kane shouted as he swept her off her feet, and carefully placed her back down on the bed. "Now…" Kane said as he cleared his throat. "I do not know what rules, you speak of, but a rule, is a rule. Therefore as the rule states, I will address Asaoka, as Yuuko from now on. Do you all understand?" Kane declared. "Roger" Yoko and I both nodded. "Now that we have concluded that…" Kane said looking to Yoko. "Our parents will be staying in America. It seems for the remainder of this year, unless something comes up." Kane sighed. "That's fine by me! They can stay there for all I care" Yoko said as she crossed her arms. "Yoko! Do not say such things… They might actually decide to do that" Kane sighed. "It's not like it makes any difference to me. They never come see me" Yoko snapped. "Yes, but if they decide to stay in America, I may have to go with them" Kane said sadly. "No! You won't go with them!" Yoko shouted in anger. "Hey, calm down! The last thing you need is to over work your heart" Kane said seriously. "Now you do not have to worry, even if they never come back I will not go with them. My place is here" Kane said softly. "I wish dad never met that stupid girl" Yoko snapped. "You cannot place all the blame with her… Well… Actually… I think you can in this case…" Kane said with an awkward chuckle. "I hate them" Yoko sighed. "Yeah… I think I know how you feel. But they are paying the hospital, and they do send me money. So at the very least, we should respect them; they are after all keeping us alive" Kane explained. "But I don't like either of them" Yoko sighed. "You don't have to like; just tolerate, and respect, trust me; as you get older you will learn to do a lot of that" Kane said seriously. "Growing up sounds like it sucks" Yoko sighed. "Watch that tongue of yours" Kane said seriously. _You know… I think Senpai is more of a parent to her, than anyone else… _"That being said; you obviously will not see them for awhile, and while that may break your heart, I will still continue to visit you every weekday. Each morning if time permits, and if I cannot make it in time, I will stop by on my way home" Kane explained. "I'll drop by sometimes too" I said cheerfully. "Hm. Alright" Yoko said with a content nod. "Very good. Now, Yoko. I have sometime I wish to tell you about the Crimson Knights. _Ah… I don't think she's going to want to hear this…_ "Ah, tell me!" Yoko said excitedly. "I was kicked out of the Crimson Knights yesterday" Kane said as he sat down next to Yoko. "Ah! What for?!' Yoko shouted. "To be honest, all nine squad captains voted to remove me from the guild, and Subaru approved of it…" Kane sighed. "Ah! What jerks!" Yoko shouted. "Yes, I thought so too. So… I joined up with a rather sinister player, and together we're going to fight against the knights" Kane explained. "Ah? So you're a dark knight now huh?" Yoko asked curiously. "Yes; and Asa-… I mean Yuuko has joined me as well" Kane explained as he pointed to me. I really couldn't think of anything to say, I just smiled awkwardly, and nodded. "Who is this player, she must be pretty brave to take on the knights!" Yoko asked. "You remember my stories of the player named Kaochin?" Kane asked. "Oh!? Her!? The player who looks like Subaru, right? Oh! That must be really cool! Are you gonna take down the knights?" Yoko asked excitedly. _Ah… Wait, what…?_ "That is the plan" Kane nodded. "Ah… You're taking this a lot better than I had expected" I said with an awkward laugh. "Huh? Oniichan has decided to become evil, it's not surprising at all" Yoko said. "Ah… It's not?" I asked. "Yuuko, I have never told you where I got the idea to create Stance, have I?" Kane asked. "No… You haven't" I said.

"Have you ever read the book: Annwn?" Kane asked. "I don't think so…" I said. "The book Annwn was written by Ryo Sakuma. It tells the story of a band of travelers quest to find Annwn, the land of light" Kane explained. "Annwn is described as a paradise for men; only those who live a valiant and noble life are allowed to enter the land of Annwn" Kane explained. "And apposed to mankind are the fairies!" Yoko explained. "The fairies have a paradise named: Sidhe and it's just for good little fairies, and their allies!" Yoko exclaimed. "The only way into either "havens" is of course, death. Honorable humans enter the land of Annwn" Kane explained. "And Fairies that lead a good life enter Sidhe!" Yoko explained. "Although it is not uncommon for humans to ally themselves with the fairies. Humans that chose to live life with the fairies were naturally not accepted into Annwn, but were allowed into the land of Sidhe" Kane explained. "Ultimately the gods of Annwn, or Sidhe had to allow you passage into their respective worlds. Those that lived a wicked and evil life were cast into Uffern; where the suffered for an eternity" Kane explained. "But there was a nameless knight, who gave his allegiance to neither god, instead he would work, or help one race, and then turn around and help the other!" Yoko explained. "He was not evil, but neither of the gods truly acknowledged him. So every time he supposedly died, who would just awaken the next morning as if nothing happened" Kane explained. "Death never came for him, since neither god accepted him… But this is what he wanted, he wanted to live forever; this was his way of obtaining immortality" Kane explained. "He lived for so long, he forgot everything about himself!" Yoko explained. "He even forgot why he could never die; the only thing that mattered to him was his honor, and never breaching his personal code" Kane explained. "Why would he want to live forever…?" I asked. "He was afraid of death" Kane and Yoko spoke in unison. _Oh… I see… That makes sense…_ "What happened to him?" I asked curiously. "He eventually did the impossible and brought peace to the humans, and fairies. He then ascended to the status of god, and created his own haven for vigilant beings such as himself. It was called Mag Mell" Kane explained. "I created Stance with that purpose in mind. He would serve whoever needed him. Neither good, nor evil, just honoring his word" Kane explained. "So… That's it huh? That's where you got the idea for Stance…" I said. "Yoko was the one who suggested it" Kane said. "So that's Stance huh? It's funny, but I never really pictured Stance as a do gooder… Although I can't really say I ever though of him as evil either…" I said thoughtfully. "He'll fill whatever role needs to be filled" Kane said with a nod. "Pretty interesting" I said with a grin.

…

"What exactly did you and Natsuko discuss?" I asked Kane as we walked down the street. "We talked about my parents" Kane said, as he studied the various shops we passed. "What about them?" I asked. "Is it not obvious? She says they are unfit; not capable of taking care of Yoko" Kane explained. "Oh…" I sighed, realizing I probably just threw salt into the wound. "She wants to find someone fit to raise her" Kane explained. "Although even I can admit that our parents are not exactly the "model" father, and mother… Yoko hates them both; and I really cannot say I am too attached to either" Kane explained. "What is she going to do?" I asked worriedly. "Right now? Nothing. She wanted my opinion on the matter… But all I could do was ask her not to take any action. I wanted time to think it over, but to be honest… I really have no idea what to do…" Kane sighed. "If some other family takes her, I may not see her as much… Or they may move out of the area… But I do not have the slightest idea on what to do. I do not even know if there is anything I can do. If she were to take this to the courts, they would no doubt agree with her. After all, I doubt my parents would bother coming all the way back here over a mere custody case" Kane explained. _So that's it… He's afraid of losing his sister…_"I'm sure you'll think of something! And if you need help, you can always count on me" I said cheerfully. "That I do not doubt… But I think this is purely a family matter. Let me worry about it" Kane said seriously. "Let it worry you into insanity? I don't care what you say; I'll get involved if you start acting like you did last night" I said sternly. "If things end up like that did last night, then please by all means involve yourself" Kane chuckled. "Now, that we have settled that. I need to buy some groceries" Kane said as he eyed the surrounding stores.

…

"You know… Saving money is not really one of my goals, considering the amount I make each month…" Kane sighed as we walked down the street, carrying a vast amount of groceries with us. "Nonsense! Why would you pay more for anything, when you can get it cheaper?" Asaoka asked. "I did not think anyone actually haggled anymore" Kane laughed to himself. "Lot's of people do! My mother taught me!" I said sharply. "And besides… You'll need the extra money come election time right?" I asked with a sly grin. "Oh? You actually approve of those kinds of methods?" Kane asked curiously. "I approve of you winning, if that's what you're asking" I said casually. "It will not be a clean victory… But a victory is a victory" Kane sighed. "Kind of sounds like something Kaochin would say, doesn't it?" I asked jokingly. "I believe that may actually be her philosophy. And… By extension, I suppose that is now mine as well?" Kane chuckled. "So, you're really serious about staying with her, huh?" I asked. "For now" Kane sharply responded. "It all seemed fairly quick… How did you come to that decision?" I asked curiously. "I over heard you talking with Silver Knight. You were pretty loud about the whole ordeal, so I limped over to my sister's room, and logged in using her terminal. When I appeared in Mac Anu, she was standing by the chaos gate insulting some of the Crimson Knights that were standing there. I simply told her about what was going on. She asked if I wanted revenge against the knights, and I agreed. I told her the location of Silver Knight, and by extension you; and we made our move." Kane explained. "She isn't as dumb as you think either; as she made me take an oath to help her dismantle the knights. So even as an evil doer, I am still bound by my word" Kane chuckled. "But… You actually want to see the knights disbanded?" I asked. "It is selfish is it not? Now that I was removed from the guild I want to see it fail. But all humans are selfish, and I am no different" Kane shrugged. "Well I mean, it's only natural I suppose. They did just up and remove you, and for seemingly no reason as well… That email you got from Subaru, it didn't say anything significant?" I asked. "I never opened it. The subject simply said termination, and that is all I really need to see. I was actually removed from the guild, so she did indeed approve it" Kane sighed. "I would really just like to know why" Kane sighed. "It doesn't make much sense" I nodded. "But… Dwelling on such things now is pointless. I am no longer a Crimson Knight" Kane said seriously. "I suppose… But, I have another question: Why Kaochin? I am sure there are tons of people out there who would want to take on the knights" I asked. "But can you name any of them? That aside, the decision was sporadic, I did not think it over, and hastily accepted Kaochin's offer" Kane explained. "Yeah? I think you may have some kind of fixation to the type of avatar they are both using" I said jokingly. "That might very well be the case" Kane said. "What!?" I shouted. "I am only joking, of course. But your reaction was rather… cute" Kane awkwardly laughed. "Senpai… It's hard to tell when your joking, and when your not" I sighed in relief.

…

"Thanks for everything you have done today, Asaoka" Kane said. "It's no trouble, I'm here to help" I said seriously. "And you have done your fair share. You should head home, and get some rest. Your parents must be worried" Kane said. "Will you be alright on your own?" I asked worriedly. "You worry too much. My foot is feeling much better; I will be fine" Kane said seriously. "Well… Alright… But don't over work, alright?" I said seriously. "I have no where else to go, my foot will be fine for the time being" Kane explained. "What about your dinner?" I asked. "Yuuko… I can take care of myself. As flattered as I am, I do not need you to cook for me everyday" Kane chuckled. "Well… Alright" I sighed. "Will you be logging into The World today?" I asked. "Most likely, I do not believe it would be wise to ignore Kaochin after all" Kane chuckled. "Then I guess I'll play with you. We can kill some Crimson Knights, or do whatever it is evil people do…" I said awkwardly. _This is going to take some getting used to. _"Yes, that sounds like a marvelous evening. You… Me… And the corpses of Crimson Knights littering the area" Kane joked. "A regular romantic evening, huh?" I joked. "Ah… Well… I guess I should get going, my parents may start to actually worry" I said as I stood from Kane's sofa. "Of course, would you like me to escort you home?" Kane asked. "No; I'll be alright. It's still light out, and my home isn't that far away" I said casually. "Very well. Take care of yourself" Kane said seriously. "Don't worry about that" I said. "I guess I'll see you in The World" I said with a yawn. "I'll meet up with Kaochin, and provide you with our location" Kane said with a nod. "Alright, I'll see you then!" I said cheerfully.

…

"It's kind of lonely without Yuuko here…" I chuckled to myself. "Although it was unnecessary of her to help with my shopping, I do appreciate it… "I yawned to myself as I ventured upstairs. "I guess I'll log on… See If I can find Mistress Kaochin" I said as I took a seat at my desk. I switched my terminal on, and allowed it to boot up. The new mail icon flashed, alerting me that I had received a new email message. "Hm? From whom?" I asked myself as I opened my inbox. One email from Kaochin and another from Kasey…" I said to myself as I glanced over the two emails. I opened the email from Kaochin first.

**From: Kaochin**

**Subject: My guild**

**Stance, as my servant, you are obligated to join my guild: the Iniquity Knights. Our goal is nothing short than the complete eradication of the Crimson Knights! With that in mind, whenever you are out adventuring, keep an eye open for any Crimson Knights! Your goal is nothing short of utterly humiliating them! Prove that they are weak and feeble, and show The World what a waste they truly are. But our prime target is Subaru; but I don't need to tell you how rarely she leaves town. So if you are lucky enough to spot her leaving Mac Anu, or any other root town; be sure you follow her! Killing her is our ultimate goal! I want to prove to everyone how stupid, and weak she really is; do you understand me?!**

"So… The Iniquity Knights? Out of one guild and into another." I sighed as I moved onto Kasey's email

**From: Kasey**

**Subject: Time for a check up!**

**Hey Stance! It's pretty hard to believe you're fighting against the Crimson Knights now. I never would have thought you and I would have a similar goal! Although, my reasons are probably different than yours, I guess we can really be considered friends now! But just what was that thing last night? You said it was Tsukasa's monster, so what; did he attack us? I gotta admit I've never seen anything like that in The World before, and what's even stranger is that it appeared at ****Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground! If it was Tsukasa's monster then I have to say I'm pretty interested in finding him now. I want to know where and how he got such a creature, aren't you curious about it as well?**

"I am curious… But only because Tsukasa was not there commanding that monster. They may have a mind of their own… Or maybe Tsukasa just has multiple monsters; all under his control… Even after all of this, I still do not understand what is going on. Just what is it about Tsukasa…?" I sighed. "Tsukasa said he would not harm any other players as long as he was left alone… But this new creature makes an appearance, and attacks without reason… If the knights have given up their search, then I suppose I will look into the situation myself… Miss Kasey could prove useful in this matter…" I said thoughtfully.

**From: Stance**

**Subject: RE: Time for a Check up!**

**Kasey, I suppose what you are saying is true, we are both fighting against the knights, that being said: would it be alright if I called upon you from time to time? I may require assistance with certain tasks Mistress Kaochin is sure to assign to me, and your talents could greatly assist me. To address your concerns about that creature that attacked us; I do not believe it was Tsukasa's monster, albeit it is identical, but the monster I have witnessed Tsukasa summon was yellow, and he had to directly command it. I must admit Kasey; I am growing more concerned with just where these creatures are coming from. With that thought in mind, I think I am going to start investigating myself, although I do not have any leads at the moment. Would you perhaps be interested in assisting me?**

"Well… That does it for emails, time to head in game" I said as I opened The World.

"It's about time" Kaochin snapped. "Forgive my tardiness, Mistress Kaochin. But I do have duties to take care of in the real world as well" I said as I followed Kaochin down the back alleyways of Mac Anu. "Just finish them quickly, alright!" Kaochin shouted. :"I will try, Mistress Kaochin" I said with a bow. "I take it you've never really been down these streets huh?" Kaochin asked. "No Mistress Kaochin; the alleyways are were Player Killers, and the like congregate, so as a Crimson Knight, I had no reason to enter this area, since one cannot engage in hostile acts in a root town" I explained as I examined my surroundings. Unlike the others areas of Mac Anu, this place left a lot to be desired; it was a ghetto, and I cannot think of any other word to describe it. "Your first time huh?" Kaochin asked, obviously amused by my response. "Just keep to yourself, don't eyeball anybody, and especially don't listen to anybody. Everything anyone says is a lie, don't trust a single soul" Kaochin explained. "As you command, Mistress Kaochin" I said seriously. _You know, it is probably a good thing you cannot PK in towns, or else the whole root town would look like this. My god, this place is disgusting…_ "Please excuse my ignorance, Mistress Kaochin. But why are we here?" I asked. "You really are dense you know that?" Kane snapped. "Our guild will be meeting here from now on" Kaochin explained as she pointed to an old and decrepit looking building. "I see… I understand Mistress Kaochin" I said with a nod. "Anymore dumb questions?" Kaochin sighed. "None at the moment, Mistress" I sighed as I realized just how far I had actually fallen.

"This place really sucks" Kaochin murmured to herself as she entered the building. I followed her inside, and nearly fell over on the uneven ground. "It is rather dark in here" I hastily gasped, hoping Kaochin did not notice my blunder. "There is no source of light in here; just let your eyes adjust." Kaochin explained. "Yes, of course" I said as I followed Kaochin deeper into the building. "We don't have very many members, but you don't need a lot of people to bring down an organization like the Crimson Knights" Kaochin explained. "Well… Here are our members" Kaochin said as she gestured into a poorly lit room. "Took you long enough" Kasey said as she jumped to her feet. "I was about to fall asleep" She yawned. "Miss Kasey…? You are a member?" I asked. "It seems like fun, so I'll stick around" Kasey said as she sat back down in an old looking chair. "For now" She murmured. "You already know that girl over there, don't you?" Kaochin asked as she pointed over to Naito. "Hey, Senpai" Naito waved. "You too, Naito?" I asked. "I already told you didn't I?" she giggled. "And the guild's co founder is over there. You will show her the same respect you show me, do you understand me?" Kaochin said as she grabbed me by the throat. "Of course, Mistress Kaochin! She will get no less from me" I said, hoping Kaochin would let me go. "Her name is Carl, she doesn't talk much, but then again she doesn't need too." Kaochin explained. The player known as Carl looked up at me from the dark corner she was standing in. She didn't bother to say anything; instead she just glared at me, I am sure if she was capable, she would have spat on me. Carl had silver hair, and wore an extremely dark blue dress. Around her neck was a white scarf with a large pearl at the center. _There is something about her character…_ "It doesn't look like she likes you; not surprising either" Kaochin chuckled. "Well, now that we are all here, let's discuss today's plan" Kaochin sneered.

"We're going to be targeting individual Crimson Knights today! We'll split into two groups, with one person stay being to coax the knights in the area to investigating the area where our two groups will be positioned. "Kasey has already volunteered to stay behind, and get us our targets. I want Stance and Carl to head too **Δ Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field.** You may need to kill off some low level players in the area so they'll complain to the knights as well. Asaoka and I will be at **Δ Closed Oblivious Twin Hills. **They shouldn't respond with to much force; they rarely do. If you find yourself outnumbered, and you start getting your ass kicked you should head back to town, and move on to another area, but make sure you alert Kasey as to where you're going." Kaochin explained. "The Crimson Knights organize themselves by squads; squad nine holding the strongest and most valued members of the guild, and squad one holding the newest, and most likely weakest members. Squad nine acts as Subaru's personal guard, so the chances of them being sent in are rather slim, unless of course Kasey gets their attention. The closer the knights are to Subaru the stronger they will be. Weaker knights will be guarding the entrance to Mac Anu; as you move further from the entrance you will encounter stronger knights" I explained. "So I should try and convince the weaker knights to go investigate the field?" Kasey asked. "Perhaps… But keep in mind they may be new to the guild, and may outright refuse, or ask for assistance from a stronger knight. Where as other knights placed in a higher squad may be confident in their abilities, and come alone" I explained. "If you're all done chatting, we'll get started" Kaochin grunted. "Yes, Mistress; right away" I said seriously. "I am ready to go, Mistress" Asaoka said copying my attitude. "Time to play tattle tail" Kasey yawned. "Come" Carl commanded as she pushed past me. "Let's get going" Kaochin commanded.

Carl and I entered **Δ Bursting Passed Over Aqua Field**. Low level players were all over the place, some were fighting monsters, and others were just sitting around socializing. It was actually quite heart warming, but this calm peace was about to be shattered. _It's nothing personal… I really hope they've saved recently._ "What are your orders, Mistress Carl?" I asked. "Kill them" Carl said sharply. "Do I have a specific target?" I asked. "No. Just kill them all" Carl commanded. "Mistress Carl… Player Killing like that… It will bring unwanted attention. We will end up facing more than just the Crimson Knights" I explained. Carl didn't bother to respond; instead she shoved her axe into my gut, nearly killing me in the process. "Don't question me" She said coldly. I struggled to stand, but in my current state it was impossible. My character had a large gash in his stomach, and it was amazing he wasn't chopped completely in half. I quickly healed myself back to full health, and stood up. _Some partnership this is…_ "Forgive my stupidity, Mistress. I was a fool to question you. Please clarify my objective" I said, swallowing not only my pride, but my ego as well. "Kill them all, and don't get in my way" Carl said coldly. "As you command" I couldn't stop myself from sighing.

I ran forward towards a female wave master struggling to fight a nearby monster. She had short pink hair that was covered by a fairly odd looking hat that matched her flamboyant blue and white robes. As I neared she turned her attention to me. "Oh? Are you here to help me?" She asked excitedly. Not bothering to respond, I ran forward shoving my weapon through her chest, instantly killing the low level wave master. I turned towards a group of players who were in the middle of a conversation. "MeAni Zot!" I shouted; casting a level two darkness spell. A large pile of claws rose from the ground, impaling the group of characters killing them. By now, the whole area was aware of what was going on. Many players began to scatter around the area, and some ran towards the dungeon seeking refuge inside. Carl was chasing down the players killing them with no effort. "GiAni Rampage!" Carl used a powerful third level dark element skill; she darted forward cutting down three players simultaneously. I didn't bother to think, I chased after some fleeing players, killing them as I ran towards the dungeon where the vast majority of players took refuge. _I have to stop feeling sorry for these players. I'm a villain now. I must act like one._

"Mistress Carl, the players that did not gate out of the area are now inside the dungeon, and as you are aware you cannot gate out of an area while you are inside of a dungeon. You have them trapped for the moment" I explained to Carl as we neared the dungeon. "Good, if they try to escape we'll just kill them" Carl said listlessly. "Do you plan on keeping them here?" I asked. "They will cry for help, and people will come running. When they get here, I will kill them" Carl said as she propped herself against a wall. "You are holding them hostage?" I asked. "Yes" Carl responded, not bothering to look at me. "A cunning plan, but you are aware that we may face more than the Crimson Knights now" I asked. "I don't care" Care shrugged. "Look" Carl said as she gazed off into the distance. Atleast a dozen players were now charging for the dungeon. "Make yourself useful" Carl commanded. "Shall I meet them head on?" I asked. "Yes" Carl sighed. "And if I should fall?" I asked. "Then you fall" Carl shrugged. "Very well" I purposely let my anger known as I turned away and charged forward. _Damn that woman! This was not what we were supposed to do! I can't believe she got me caught up in all of this… _"Damnit all!" I shouted as I charged for the group of players. The group consisted of twelve players; five blade masters, four twin blades, a heavy axemen, a long arm, and a lone wave master. As I neared I could hear their battle cries; I let lose a thunderous cry of my own, and began my assault. "BiAni Don!" I unleashed a second level darkness spell. The spell flew forward hitting the players that were in the front most position.

"BiAni Don!"

"BiAni Don!!"

"BiAni Don!!!"

"BiAni Don!!!!"

I continued my magical assault as I charged towards the players. I managed to kill two of the blade masters with my magical barrage. I unsheathed my sword as I neared, and leveled it at the group of players coming my way. "I'll charge right through!" I shouted as I ran forward hitting the group head on. A twin blade was unfortunate enough to be in the front, and I easily cut my way through her. I tried to fight my way out, but I was impaled by the long arm's halberd, and was sent barreling out of the crowd. Her blade went through my body entirely, as she charged forward shoving her blade into a nearby tower. She had pinned me against it, leaving me with little less than half my health. "Hey, I got him!" she cheered. Ignoring my wounds I charged forward, the hilt of her halberd passed through me, and I threw myself on top of her. "Die!" I screamed as I shoved my blade into her chest; killing her. "He's injured; surround him!" One of the blade masters commanded. I let out a cold sinister laugh as the players neared. One of the twin blades charged forward, I slashed at her head, but she quickly ducked under my attack, and slide between my feet. "MeAni Zot" I quickly cast a spell on the area behind me; she slid right into my spell; spikes rose from the ground, and made quick work of her. Two of the blade masters charged forward. I managed to land a hit on one of them as they passed, but the other hit me as he charged forward. I quickly spun around and threw my blade at the blade master that hit me, it plunged deep into his chest, and he staggered backwards trying to maintain his balance. I ran forward, and pulled my blade from his chest. I stabbed him once more in the chest; finishing him off. One of the remaining twin blades ran behind me, and latched onto my back. She skillfully spun her daggers, and then plunged both of them into my shoulders. I screamed out in pain as my health was nearly depleted. "I'm not dead yet" I shouted as I shoved my blade through the hole that the long arm player had left in my stomach. It didn't damage me, but my blade went straight through the twin blade's stomach, causing her scream in pain. She released her grip on my shoulders, and lay limp as my sword held her in place. I slowly withdrew my blade from my chest, and she fell from my back; her body faded to a dull gray, indicating she was dead. _It's no good… One more hit, and I'll die… _I desperately ran forward, jumping off the heavy axeman as he swung his axe at me. I landed behind the frightened wavemaster; I wasted no time, in grabbing her head, and pulling her close to me. I brought my blade close to her neck in a threatening manner. The other players ran forward, but stopped when the noticed the situation the wave master was in. "Heal me" I whispered into her ear. "Wha… No… I can't" she whimpered. "I do not want to kill you, but if you ignore my commands, then I will have no choice" I said as I carefully slid the edge of my blade along her neck. "But… The others…" it was obvious to me she was trying to hold back her tears. "You have a healing item do you not? Give it to me, and they will not have to know… If you do this for me, I will let you go" I whispered into her ear, while slowly backing away from the other players. "Ah… You will?" She obviously did not believe me. "Just do as I ask, you do not have anything to lose; do you?" I whispered to her. She silently nodded, and within seconds a trade request appeared on my screen. I hurriedly accepted the healing items she gave me, and tightened my grip on her. "Now, the daggers in my shoulders pull them out on my command…" I silently commanded. "Make it look like you are trying to damage me" I whispered. I swatted her staff out of her hands, and then moved my sword away from her throat, and leveled it at the other players. "Hang on! We're coming!" one of the remaining blade masters shouted. "If you want your friends to live, convince them to retreat, if they continue to fight; I will have to kill them" I whispered. "Ok…" she whispered. "Now, go" I whispered. She gently shoved me, but I threw myself backwards to make it seem more dramatic. She spun around and grabbed hold of both daggers within my shoulders, and yanked them out. The momentum, sent her falling down onto the grass below, but her action left me at exactly one HP. "He's down, finish him off!" The blade master shouted as he ran forward. I quickly healed myself with the potions the wave master had given me. My wounds sealed themselves up, and the blood along my armor disappeared. "Damnit, he waits until now to heal!?" The heavy axeman shouted. "Ah… I don't think we can win… We should run!" The wave master shouted. "No! Our friends are in that dungeon, and they can't get out! We have to help them!" The heavy axeman shouted. I stood from my kneeling position with a sinister grunt. "You are beaten! Continuing this fight would only bring your destruction." I taunted. "I was able to take down six of you before… Without that long arm to help you, it will be easy" I said manically. "Damnit…" One of the blade masters shouted in frustration. "If you choose to fight, then you will die" I said as I began to march towards them. "Ah… We can't win, we need to run" The wave master pleaded. "Damnit… Fine, let's get out of here…" the head player of the group commanded. Each player began gating out of the area "I won't forget you…" The remaining blade master said to me as he warped away. I let out a heavy sigh when the final player warped out of the area. _I don't think I have what it takes… This player killing… It's just not enjoyable… No honor in it… Atleast I was able to turn them away…_ "How is Carl doing?" I asked myself as I glanced over at the dungeon entrance. It was swamped with Crimson Knights; I do not believe I have ever seen that many knights in one place.

I charged forward towards the dungeon, all the knights were focused on Carl, so they did not see me coming. I ran through the group of knights, cutting, pushing, and shoving them until I reached the dungeon entrance, and Carl. "Mistress Carl; I have accomplished my goal" I said as I took a defensive position next to her. "Kill them" Carl said listlessly. Knights would charge forward, and Carl and I would fight them off. It was an incredibly repetitive process; I sustained heavy damage, but Carl was not once touched by any knight. Carl took a defensive position in front of me, and stopped the knights from reaching me. "You are pathetic" She insulted me while effortlessly fighting off the knights. "You utterly worthless, like the rest of them" Carl sighed. _Worthless…? Pathetic…?_ "You keep holding back. You don't think I saw?" Carl asked. "You let those players escape… You joined Kaochin's guild but look at you… A gutless, worthless man. You are supposed to be helping me, but look at you… It's truly sad" Carl explained.

"Ah…"

Carl gasped as she fell backwards on my blade. "Worthless am I…?" I asked her as I twisted my blade in circles. "What do you know?!" I shouted. "What have the knights done to you?!" I shouted as I forced her to stand. The knights stopped their assault and looked on in awe at my actions. "You send me off to kill innocent players while you fight off the Crimson Knights!? What have they done to you! Did they betray you!?" I asked as I pulled my sword from her body. "What are you doing…? You are supposed to listen to me…" Carl sighed as she fell to her knees. "I refuse!" I shouted. "Your business with ordinary players or anyone else is none of my concern!" I shouted. "Subaru and the knights… They are my only objective!" I shouted. "How… worthless…" Carl chuckled to herself. "Worthless is it!?" I screamed. "What do you know of worthless!?" I shouted as I shoved my sword into her gut. "I have spent my entire time in The World in service to her!" I shouted. "I was far more loyal than any of them! I devoted more time than anyone! And yet I have had to watch, as others surpassed me! My dreams crushed in front of my own eyes! But I never complained! I never voiced my opinion because I believed she was right! I… I even saved her from a horrible fate at the hands of Tsukasa… And how does she thank me… By letting him go, and banishing me from the knights!?" I screamed. "She…No… They… They have taken everything from me… My valor… My pride… And most importantly… My purpose!" I screamed. "And… You claim it is "worthless!?" I shouted at Carl. "After all they have done… What could possibly have more meaning than my revenge against the knights!?" I shouted. "They… They stole my purpose… So… I will take theirs!" I shouted as I turned to the mass formation of Knights. "It will take more than the likes of you to stop me!" I activated the item that changed my appearance to that of a Crimson Knight. My character faded from The World, and reappeared in the standard armor of a Crimson Knight. "You may have banished me from guild, but I am still a knight… I was a knight long before I was in that guild… And even now, after you have all banished me… I am, and will always remain… A knight… And there is one thing a knight always keeps… His Honor!" I screamed. "And you will not take that away from me! You will all pay!" I shouted as I jumped forward into the mass of knights.

The knights were all defeated. Disguising myself as a Crimson Knight worked to my absolute advantage, as it turned the entire group against each other. No one knew which knight was me, so they all turned against themselves, and began to attack each other. "They can't even tell each other apart" I managed to chuckle in my half-dead state. I wasn't able to dodge in all of the confusion, and I was nearly killed off, but in the end I managed to survive. Carl drove the remaining knights off, perhaps so she could finish me herself. "Better?" Carl asked as she studied my half dead body. "Yes… Much better" I chuckled. "Phal Repth!" Carl chanted; casting the strongest healing spell available. My wounds sealed up within an instant, and my health was completely restored. "Get up" Carl commanded as she offered her hand as support. _What is all of this? Have I earned her respect? _"Thank you" I said sincerely as I grabbed her hand, and rose to my feet. "I told Kasey to alert the knights; that if they want us to stop, all they would have to do is send Subaru" Carl explained. "That's a smart plan, it really is… But most of the players have likely reset their terminals by now. That way they will be back in Mac Anu. Right now, we are just stopping players from entering this dungeon, which is no big deal considering they can simply go to another field. Carl looked taken back by my explanation; but didn't she consider all of this while coming up with this plan? You cannot expect players to sit idly by in a dungeon when all they have to do is reset their terminals to escape. "Damnit, this is why I hate people. They never want to see anything through to the end" Carl grunted. "There may still be some players inside…" I said, trying to lift her spirits. "More players are coming" Carl stated as she glared behind me. Five lightly armored players were running towards the dungeon; judging by their weapons, they were of the long arm class, which means…

"Dash…" I deeply sighed. "Hey! You two! Do you have any ide-…? Wait a minute… Stance!?" Dash shouted. "Huh? That's Stance?" Spade shouted. "Why would he do something like this?" Club asked. "Oh no! What has happened to Stance?!" Heart cried. "Who cares what's happened to him, we need to kill him!" Diamond grunted. "Stance… When you told me you were gonna be hanging out with Kaochin I really didn't think anything of it; yeah sure you may PK… But doing something like this… It's more than PKing. You're running the fun of a lot of players by blocking off this dungeon!" Dash shouted. "Spare me your righteous speech, please! You might actually bore me to sleep!" I chuckled. "I told myself I'd try and go lenient on you, because what the knights did to you was unfair… But this… Oh no, I can't just ignore this" Dash sighed. "Word must travel fast. We have not been here that long have we?" I manically laughed. "Man… This is kind of making me sick… Oh, and Stance, could you try speaking some English?" Dash asked as he gestured to his guild. "Friends of yours?" Carl asked. "Friends? Maybe so… But if they are going to get in my way…" I said, making sure to speak English so Dash's comrades could understand me. I glared at Dash, and his guild: Royal Flush. "Oh? You thinking about taking Royal Flush on?" Dash smirked. "There are only two of you; and I already told you we wont go easy on you" Dash taunted. "These players are annoying. I will put them in their place" Carl sighed. "Wryneck Rf!" She shouted. A ghostly visage of Wryneck, The World's god of darkness appeared above Carl, and unleashed a devastating magical attack. "Oh man! Get out of the way!" Dash commanded. Dash and his guild barely managed to jump out of the way before Wryneck's attack hit. The ground where they once stood was now nothing more than a large crater in the ground. "Sheesh, she's using summoning spells!? Man she must really be high level…" Dash grunted. "Alright! You all know what to do!" Dash shouted as he readied his halberd. "Right!' Royal flush shouted at once. "This could be bad…" I grunted. "Take my member address, we stand a better chance in a party" Carl said as she sent her member address to me. I quickly accepted, and created a party with her.

"Ap Raio!" Heart shouted; unleashing a magical spell that boosted ones Thunder elemental skills. "Alright, now! GiRai Rom!" Diamond shouted unleashing a powerful thunder spell that was boosted in power thanks to Heart's support spell. Her attack floored me, and caused Carl's summon to vanish. "Damnit!" I shouted as I climbed to my feet. "Alright, let's go!" Dash shouted as he led his group in an all out charge. "PhAni Zot!" Carl shouted, unleashing the highest level of darkness "Raise" spell. At my level, all I could manage was to summon a number of sinister looking spikes from the ground; but at her level, large demonic looking hands burst from the ground. "Darn! Everyone jump!" Dash commanded. They all leapt into the air, just as the spell activated. The hands sprung forth from the ground, but Dash and his guild were too high in the air for them to reach. I quickly followed Carl's attack up with a barrage of my own spells. "BiAni Don! I continually cast the spell, hitting each member of Royal Flush knocking them down onto the ground. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play is it? Alright then… Heart, strengthening spells! Boost our magic!" Dash commanded. "Mistress Carl, they are going to attack using magic" I said. "Then we'll attack now" Carl sighed.

"Oh this figures…" Dash sighed as we neared. "Will you two make up your minds!?" Dash shouted as he led his guild forward. I focused my attention on Dash; it seems he had the same idea as he commanded the rest of his guild to focus on Carl. As we neared we both readied our weapons, and attacked in unison; our blades becoming interlocked. "You don't really think this is ok do you!?" Dash shouted as he struggled to break through my defenses. "It is not personal. I just want to cause trouble for the Crimson Knights!" I shouted while simultaneously holding Dash's halberd at bay. "Then… Stop causing trouble for regular players!" Dash shouted. "That's difficult when they keep getting in my way!" I responded. Dash and I both withdrew our blades, and began to assault each other. Dash was able to parry all of my attacks, and likewise I was able to parry all of his. "I don't think you're telling me the whole story here, Stance" Dash said as he blocked a series of my attacks. "Have I ever… Lied to you before?" I asked as I took to the defensive, and began to parry his attacks. "No… But we've never been in this kind of situation before, have we?" Dash asked as he parried my attacks. "You… Don't have to believe me. But you cannot say my banishment… Was not sudden" he interrupted my chain of attacks, and took to the offensive. "Yeah, maybe so. But… All you did was talk highly of her, and all the sudden she just doesn't want you in her guild… It's kind of suspicious" Dash said as he effortlessly parried my attacks. "Even I can make mistakes; infact, I make a lot of them… You are just too self-centered to notice them!" I shouted as I readied a skill. "Ani Crack!" I shouted. Dash prepared a skill of his own, and unleashed it along with my own. "Vak Repulse!" Dash shouted. Our weapons began to glow with our corresponding elements; mine a deep purple, and his bright red.

We both began attacking in a furious rage, but each of our attacks just bounced off one anothers'. "This is getting us no where" Dash sighed as he continued his attack. "Anid Spiral!" I shouted as I jumped into the air. "Ah, crap!" Dash cried. I spun forward in the air, and came crashing down breaking through Dash's defenses. The attack forced him down to the ground, with little more than half of his health remaining. "I know you normally boast about the strengths of the Long Arm class, but allow me to inform you of their weaknesses" I sneered. "You have an extensive cool down time between skills, so you have to be smart, and choose when you should use one" I explained. "So you used one of your weaker skills so I'd counter with my own… I gotta admit… That was pretty good" Dash smirked. "I'm not entirely evil though. I will let you go if you promise to leave this place" I said as I moved my blade towards his throat. "Ha, you know I can't do that" Dash smiled. "Then, I will have to kill you" I said as I moved my blade away, and prepared to finish him. "Or… You can drop your weapon, and I'll let YOU go" A voice emerged from behind. "What? Who dares?" I grunted, but maintained my position when I felt a blade against my back. "Drop your weapon, and turn around; nice and easy" the unknown player commanded. I threw my sword to the ground, and slowly put my hands in the air. "Alright buddy, nice and easy, move away from the player" he commanded. I silently nodded and slowly stepped away from Dash. "Oh man… Now this is something to brag about at school" Dash chuckled as he stood up. His comment really made me curious as to who was behind me, so without warning I quickly spun around to face my attacker.

"Orca of the Azure Seas!?" I gasped.

"That's what they call me" Orca said with a confident grin. Dash grabbed his halberd, and used it as leverage to help himself stand. "Oh man, just in the nick of time, let me tell you" Dash sighed. "I was wondering what all the commotion was about; it's really despicable to pick on lower level players. You know that right?" Orca asked. "These players were not my intended target" I said sternly. "But you attacked them anyway! What kind of first impression are you giving those that are new to the game?" Orca asked. "The initial deaths were unavoidable. Everything else was the result of their own ignorance and the complete lack of competence of the Crimson Knights" I said seriously. "Do you get some kind of sick pleasure from killing off defenseless players?" Orca asked. "Whoa, now; I know that's not true" Dash said coming to my defense. "Stance may have killed a lot of players, but I don't think he really enjoys it" Dash said as he looked over to me. "My grudge is against the Crimson Knights. While it is true that I killed a number of innocent players… Those that choose to side with Crimson Knights will become my enemy" I declared. "The only ones that have sided with the Crimson Knights; are the Knights themselves. Others came here trying to rescue their friends, or put a stop to this injustice you and your partner have created." Orca explained. "Where is Carl?" I asked. "Your partner? I had no choice but to kill her. When push came to shove, she wasn't able to match up to someone like me." Orca smirked. "It was just enough to decommission your guild" I said to Dash. "But I can easily revive them" Dash shrugged. "Did you remember to buy the proper items to do so?" I asked curiously. "Ah well…" Dash stammered. "Hey, hold on now. Don't try anything funny… Just leave the area and we can forget all about this" Orca said as he took a defensive position in front of Dash. "And give you the satisfaction of victory? Unlikely" I said as I used an item to revive the deceased Carl. She materialized right beside Orca, and wasted no time in her attack.

"MeAni Zot!" I shouted

I caught Dash off guard; he was caught in my spell, and was killed as a great deal of spikes rose from the ground. I ran forward, and grabbed my sword. Orca easily knocked Carl away, and killed her with a powerful Earth elemental spell. "You never want to do things the easy way… Alright then" Orca said as he turned to me. "I gave you a chance, but you had to go and act foolish" Orca sighed. He blocked off my escape, forcing me to back inside of the dungeon. _In terms of power, I am no match for him… I can't believe how easily Carl was beaten… I've only got one chance…_ I disbanded my party with Carl which forced her back to Mac Anu. _I'll have to lose him inside the dungeon._ I didn't say another word; I spun around and darted deeper into the dungeon. "Get back here!" Orca shouted as he chased after me. I ran deeper into the dungeon, pushing past a few remaining players as I ran. The dungeon branched off into two different routes. _If I choose the wrong one, I'll be killed for sure…_ I quickly made my decision, and ran left. I pushed some hapless players down as I ran, and grabbed others and threw them directly behind me hoping to slow Orca down. I followed the dungeon's layout, following the stairs down to the second floor. I ran straight ahead, shoving a few hapless players behind me as I ran. I continued running until I reached a large room with four doors I could enter. "Damnit all!" I shouted as I examined the four passageways. "It's a low level area, it will be the most obvious" I said to myself as I ran forward. I entered the room containing the Gott Statue, and jumped down into the bowl under it; I quickly grabbed onto the ledge behind it, and climbed up on the small ledge. _The Gott Statue is still floating, he will not see me as long as it remains there…_I could hear Orca enter the area, and stop as he reached the Gott statue. "Come out and face me!" He commanded. "A player saw you run in here, it's no use hiding!" Orca shouted. _Damnit… He's got me…_ His foot steps grew louder as he neared the Gott Statue, and my hiding place. I got nervous and pressed my back against the wall, and strangely enough…

I fell right through it.

I stopped myself from verbally gasping, and remained quiet. _What the…? What happened? _I could hear Orca slide down into the bowl holding the Gott statue; I remained motionless for an extended period of time before I heard him climb out of the bowl. "That's strange… No one's seen him near the entrance… How could he have just disappeared…?" I could hear Orca asking himself as I hid behind the "fake" wall. "If he disconnected, or reset his terminal his character would have remained long enough for me to notice it… So how did he…" I heard him ask. "Is he some kind of hacker?" I heard him ask. It took every ounce of restraint my body could muster, but I was able to stop myself from yelling. _A hacker!? How dare he…_ "Well… I should go help the other players" he sighed. I heard his footsteps grow weaker, and weaker, until finally I couldn't hear him anymore. I slowly stood up and examined my surroundings. It was dark, and an eerie purple light illuminated the area. The trees surrounding the area where dead, and were starting to show signs of decay. "Where in The World, am I?" I asked as I examined my surroundings. In the center of the dark and depressing area was a lone bed, and above it, a small female floated aimlessly. "A girl…?" I asked curiously. I made my way over to the bed, taking note of the various teddy bears that were floating about the area. "Is this some kind of event? Or hidden area?" I asked as I grabbed one of the floating teddy bears.

_And so, I shall name her Aura. _

_Without you, she would not exist. _

_The shining girl, Aura... _

_We will entrust her with our will. _

_Our future is in her hands, _

_She is our... _

The words continuously played through my head. "Who's there?!" I shouted as I glared around the area. "Show yourself!" I drew my weapon. The area remained eerily quite; the only exception was the small girl's dress that fluttered in the wind. "This girl…" I said as I sheathed my weapon. "Is she… Asleep?" I asked. "Excuse me… Young lady; get up" I said while lightly shoving her. "And so… I shall name her Aura…" I said, reciting what I heard when I picked up the small teddy bear. "This is, Aura?" I asked.

"Don't touch her" A voice behind me rang.

"Who's there!?" I shouted as I grabbed my weapon, and prepared to attack. In front of me was a small cat like creature, it wore a large goofy hat, with two small holes for its ears to fit through. She politely bowed when I turned, and repeated herself "Do not touch her" she said. "Who… No! What are you?" I demanded. "Maha" Its whiskers twitched as it spoke. "What kind of player model is that…? A cat…" I asked.

"_Many players have reported seeing a cat-like player in fields and dungeons but just recently we have received reports of this cat player being seen in root towns with a Wave Master"_

I flashed back to Silver Knight's words

"A cat player… You… It was you! You are connected to Tsukasa somehow! Where is he?!" I shouted. "Leave Tsukasa lone" Maha commanded. "Who are you to give me such an order!? Do you have any idea what he has put me through, and what others have suffered through as well?!" I shouted. "Hunting Tsukasa will only bring you unnecessary conflict" Maha sighed. "And what of this girl!? Is she helping you and Tsukasa? Or… Maybe you attacked her!" I shouted. "Wake her up!" I commanded. "I don't have the power to do that" Maha shrugged. "Just who are you… What's going on here!?" I shouted. I tucked the teddy bear safely away, and brought my sword into a combat position. "If you won't tell me… Then I will kill you!" I shouted. Every single image that was displayed on my HMD contorted, and inverted in color. "What the… What are you doing…?" I grunted as I held my eyes.

"Maha… Go, and find Tsukasa." An ominous voice commanded. The cat politely bowed, and disappeared from the area. "Who's there…?" I shouted. "You are involving yourself in matters that do not concern you…" The voice said softly. Before I could respond, my body was throttled high into the air. "What the!? What's going on!?" I cried. "You can spend the rest of your life wallowing in obscurity!' The voice shrieked. A great deal of lights emerged; all of them sprang forward, and pierced my body. I cried out in pain as my body began to convulse in reality. "What are you doing!?" I cried. Her attack continued, and I could feel myself slipping unconscious. There was a loud explosion, and I fell from the sky. I slammed into the ground, and looked up into the dark purple sky. The last thing I saw: was the visage of a tall woman garbed in strange white robes.

…

"Ah…" I gasped as I awoke. "Where am I…?" I asked as I struggled to stand. "Oh? So you're awake?" Someone asked me. I clumsily reached for my sword, and unsheathed it, nearly falling over in the process. "Who… Who's there?" I asked. "There is no need for violence" A small decrepit man said. "He slowly limped over to me, and extended his small hand. "Greetings, what brings you to paradise?" He asked. _Paradise…?_ I kneeled forward and shook his small and feeble looking hand. "Paradise?" I asked curiously. I scanned my surroundings, for a moment I thought I was in some slum in reality; the area was dark, dank, and down right unpleasant in most cases. There were many modern looking buildings, but they looked abandoned, and were falling apart. Garbage littered the streets, and the sidewalk was cracked in many places. _How could anyone call this paradise?_ "Would you prefer the term Net Slum?" The old man asked. "Net Slum…? Hold on, just where am I?" I asked. "You are in Net Slum" The old man responded. "But just where is Net Slum? Am I still inside The World?" I asked. "You are" The old man nodded. "But at the same time… You are not" He added. "I… I am… But at the same time… I am not?" I asked as I held my throbbing head. "Hold on… Just who are you?" I asked as I studied his unfamiliar appearance. "I am Tartarga" He said simply. "But… Your appearance… How did you…?" I asked. "Is something wrong?" He asked as he leaned on his small cane. "I have never seen a player with a model such as that… Are you helping that cat like player…?" I asked as I pointed my sword at him. "Me, help Morganna?" Tartarga chuckled. "Help who? Morganna…? Seriously, just who or what are you?" I nearly shouted. "Put away your weapon… Children these days… So quick to fight" He sighed as he shook his head. "Come with me, let me introduce you": He said as he pointed down a small alleyway.

I followed the tiny ancient looking man who called himself Tartarga deeper into "Net Slum" It all started to mesh together. The place was a guanine slum; it sickened me to be in such a horrible looking place. As we waked down one of its seemingly endless alleyways we happened on groups of players… Accept they were… Messed up… Some of the characters had entire pieces missing from their body, others did not even possess a third dimension, and were as flat as paper. "Excuse me, Mister… Tartarga… Was it?" I asked timidly. "Hm? What is it?" He asked. "Do you know…? What is wrong with these players? I have never seen player characters in such a state… And some of them are... Just what is going on here?" I asked. "This place… It was once a place, where all flawed non-player characters drifted to" Tartarga explained. "Non-player characters…?" I gasped as I scanned the area. "A sanctuary for failures" He added. "Eventually, players stumbled upon them, and those that found them amusing came up with their own variations of failed characters" Tartarga explained. "Now… The boundary between player characters and non player character is virtually non-existent" He explained. "Some of them simply don't know which category they fall in to." He said with a sorrowful sigh. "There could even be a few who have lost their bodies on the outside. Mere shells of what they once were. Only their character data remains active. And they wander the network searching for who knows what" Tartarga explained. "The same fate as Harald…" He sighed deeply.

"Hey… Is that you, Stance?"

I turned to the direction of the familiar voice, and Kasey came skipping towards me. "You're finally awake huh?" She asked cheerfully. "Miss Kasey, what are you doing in such an area…?" I gasped. "I think a better question… Is: what are **you** doing here" She said. "I… I do not really know…" I said seriously. "You were out of it for awhile… Tell me, are you feeling alright?" Kasey asked. "I'm a little shaken… But otherwise, I feel fine…" I said as I rubbed my throbbing head. "No symptoms back in reality?" she asked curiously. "It was strange enough to find you of all people just lying here in Net Slum. But when I returned home from work you were still there." Kasey explained. I tried to lift my HMD, but…

Nothing happened…

There was nothing to lift up… When I tried to move my hands… My body inside The World reacted. "Hey… Stance… You alright?" She asked worriedly. "Ah… I cannot… Nothing is happening… I cannot take it off… What is going on…?" I began to panic. "Hey! Hold on, clam down!" Kasey shouted. "No! This is not right! I… I am inside The World… My body… It is gone!? No! This must be some kind of dream!" I screamed. "Where am I!? What is going on!?" I cried as I fell to the floor. "My body… It is gone… There is nothing there…" I began to sob. "Hey, Stance, Calm down!" Kasey grabbed my shoulders. "Where is my body!? Where am I!?" I cried. "Stance, you're losing your mind! Calm down!" Kasey shouted as she threw my helmet off, and slapped me across the face.

I grabbed the left side of my face; I could feel the sting from where Kasey had slapped me across the face. "I can feel it… It's real…" I began to cry. "It hurts… It really does hurt…" I sobbed. "Whoa… Stance… I didn't mean to…" Kasey said apologetically. "This… This is my body… I'm not in front of a terminal…" I sobbed. "This… This is me" I cried as I pointed to my player character, Stance. "I don't understand what you're trying to say…" Kasey sighed. "Just log out…" she suggested. "How!?" I couldn't help but yell. "How do I open the field menu!? I am not using a controller! Don't you get it!? These hands…" I sobbed. "They are my real hands!" I cried. "Stance… What you're saying… It doesn't make any sense" Kasey said while trying to calm me down. "It does not make any sense… It cannot be explained… But it has happened to me… Whatever happened to me at that field… It trapped me in this game… I'm sure of it!" I shouted. "Wait, hold on. What happened where?" Kasey asked. "It was that cat… And that voice… It was her… I am sure of it… She did this to me!" I shouted. "Calm down, just who are you talking about?" Kasey asked.

"Morganna" Someone behind me answered. "Ah! Oh wow…" Kasey said in bewilderment. "Ah… Who's there?" I asked as I spun around. A tall female stood before me. Her hair was blonde, but she wore a large mask that covered up her face, leaving only her mouth revealed. She wore a unique looking robe that was anything but proper; her chest was barely clothed, unlike the rest of her body, which was garbed in heavy robes. "Helba!" Kasey shouted excitedly. "Oh, it is just you Helba. You certainly have a way of sneaking up on people" Tartarga laughed as best he could. "It is one of my many talents, Tartarga" Helba smiled. "And hello to you, Kasey. It has been awhile since we have spoken" Helba said with a nod. "And… Hello to you, Stance is it?" Helba asked. "Ah…Just who are you? And just who is this Morganna? Are you the cause of all this?" I asked as I grabbed my helmet, and threw it on my head. "The cause? Me? No… But I can tell you who did this to you" Helba said softly. "Hm? Helba? You know something about what's happening to Stance?" Kasey asked. "I know a great deal of things, my dear. It just so happens that I know what has happened to your friend" Helba explained. "What, that he's gone crazy?" Kasey asked. "Tell me boy… Can you recall any memories from your life outside of The World?" she asked. "Um… Vaguely… Friends… And family I think… I live in Japan… I have a sister… Uh… I am seventeen… A junior in high school… I… I have a friend… His name is James… And there is a girl… Yes… A girl… I think…" I said as I recalled what little memories I had. "Well… You are actually a player…" Helba said thoughtfully. "Of course I am!" I shouted. "Listen to me, I want to know who did this to me, and I want to know how to reverse it; tell me now, damnit!" I shouted. "Violence won't do you any good. Calm yourself down, and listen to what I have to say" Helba commanded. "Ah… Alright…" I said calmly.

"It was Morganna" Helba said simply. "Who is Morganna?" I asked. "She… Is The World" Helba said seriously. "She… She is The World? I do not understand…" I sighed. "Everything you see around you, everything you have ever known inside of The World is her doing. She is the foundation of The World; this is her domain" Helba explained. "She is… The World? Like some kind of god…?" I asked seriously. "That is a simplistic way of viewing it… But yes, I suppose you could describe her as The World's god" Helba said with a smirk. "Why did she do this to me?" I asked. "I can explain a great deal of things to you… But how Morganna thinks? That is not one of them" Helba said sadly. "Can it be reversed?" I desperately asked. "Of course. If it can be done… Then it can be undone" Helba explained. "How…? Can you help me?" I asked. "I'll need to examine you more thoroughly" Helba said. "Ah… Examine?" I asked. "She attacked you through the game, did she not? I will need to get a closer look at the data making up your character in order to find out what she has actually done" Helba said. "Wait, hold on a second… So all of this is real?" Kasey asked. "He's actually stuck inside of The World?" Kasey asked in disbelief. "That is what he claims" Helba nodded. "But it's just… To far fetched to believe in" Kasey grunted. "Kasey, would you please step over here? I would like to examine you first" Helba said as she gestured towards an open field in Net Slum. "Huh? Why me?" Kasey asked. "I need to get a basic idea of the data structure of an ordinary player. Without it, I wouldn't know what to look for when I examined Stance" Helba explained. "Humph, fine. What do I need to do?" Kasey asked. "Just stand perfectly still" Helba said as she aimed her staff at Kasey. A small blue light shot from her staff, and engulfed Kasey. Helba dropped her staff, and it began to circle around Kasey. "Now then… Let's see just what makes you tick" Helba said. She brought her hands up, and began to type on what appeared to be an invisible keyboard. "Less data than a field… but slightly more than some monsters… And what appears to be… Illegal modifications?" Helba said with an amused smirk. "Illegal modifications…?" I asked. "What I do to my character is my own business" Kasey grunted. _She is… A hacker…?_ "Hold still for a moment longer, just let me save it…" Helba said as she began typing away on her invisible keyboard. "It is done" Helba said as she retrieved her staff. "Stance, it is your turn" Helba said as she turned to me. "This… This is not going to hurt… Will it?" I asked worriedly. "I do not know…" Helba said thoughtfully. "I haven't used it on someone who could actually feel pain inside of The World" Helba said with a shrug. "That being the case, you don't have very many options right now" Helba added. "You are… Right…" I sighed. "Very well… Continue…" I whimpered. As with Kasey, Helba's wand flew forward, and projected a dull blue light. I was engulfed in the light. "Ah… This is… Odd…" I said, trying to stifle my laughter. "You have to remain still. I cannot get an accurate reading if you are rolling around" Helba sighed. "I am sorry… But it is... Tickling me…" I laughed. "And he was worried about pain…" Helba sighed. "Kasey, do something about his movements" Helba commanded. "Ah…? Like what? You want me to hold him down?" Kasey asked. "That would give me an inaccurate reading. Use magic" Helba commanded. "Ah. Right. Suvi Lei!" Kasey shouted casting a spell that paralyzed its target. My muscles tightened and my body froze up. I slowly fell forwards landing directly on my face. "Well, that makes things easier" Helba chuckled.

"Huh…? How interesting…!" Helba smirked. "Hey? What's up Helba?" Kasey asked. "I've never seen this much data in one place… His data structure is more complex than two… Maybe three fields…. What's more, I don't recognize any of this… It's all foreign…" Helba explained. "What… Does that mean?" I asked. "It means I will need some time to fully comprehend what I am dealing with. I can't tell where one part of you ends and the other begins. Structurally, your data is assembled in a completely different way than Kasey's" Helba explained as she recalled her staff. "Then… You can't help me?" I gasped. "I don't fully understand what has happened to you. I cannot help you without first understanding the problem" Helba explained. "So you just expect me to wait here?!" I shouted. "Of course not… You're free to wonder the rest of The World; although… It will be difficult considering you are not able to access the menus regular player's use…" Helba explained. "But I believe I have a solution" Helba nodded. "A solution?" I asked curiously. "A program that will create a copy of the Chaos Gate, and allow you to travel normally using the copy…" Helba explained. "Hey! Are you talking about my Gate Hack?" Kasey asked excitedly. "It has become increasingly difficult to create programs that still function within The World… I must admit I am surprised you were capable of creating such a program, especially with today's security measures. " Helba sighed. "People were just too careless with their hacking. They thought it made them cool, so they went around showing off. Of course the system administration cracked down on them. Security has gotten real tight; it's such a pain… Simple things like creating AIs are now extremely hard" Kasey sighed. "You sound annoyed" Helba grinned. "I'm not like you… I don't have the time or patience to sit around all day, and look for backdoors" Kasey sighed. "Oh? But you've still managed to create some impressive programs" Helba chuckled. "Maybe so, but I've learned my lesson... Carelessly handing them out to random players only gets them disabled faster. I just keep em for myself" Kasey grunted. "Besides… How is my Gate Hack program gonna help Stance?" Kasey asked. "I designed it so I could force my way into areas that were blocked off by the administration! And without a powerful Virus, or bug to break their protection it's a useless program. Not to mention, when I tested it before… I caused all of **Δ Server** to crash! It creates too much data, which overflows the system and forces it, offline... It needs something… Something to regulate it…" Kasey explained. "Oh! And don't go telling me you have some way of sneaking a virus into The World; not even you can pull something like that off. Security has gotten too tight; bringing in a Virus from the outside is completely impossible" Kasey grunted. "That may be; but your program creates a replica of the Chaos Gate in question when it's used, does it not?" Helba asked. "Well yeah; if it didn't, the administration could easily detect that I was using their own chaos gates to break into their protected areas; they'd see my name on their logs, and I'd end up getting banned. If it creates a copy of the Chaos Gate, then they won't be able to check it." Kasey explained. "And the "fake" chaos gate; is voice activated, is it not?" Helba asked. "Actually, it was text activated, but I suppose voice commands would work too..." Kasey said thoughtfully. "And that is our solution to poor Stance's problems. With a voice activated chaos gate; he'll be able to travel without the use of the standard menus" Helba smirked.

"Man… I promised myself I wouldn't give out any more of my programs…" Kasey sighed. "Hey, wait a second! How did you find out about it, Helba?!" Kasey shouted. "That is my secret, dear" Helba chuckled. "Sheesh… Can't even keep my own creations to myself anymore" Kasey whined. "Well, here Stance. I hope you put it to good use. And you'd better not draw any attention from the administration!" Kasey shouted as she handed me a small glowing orb. "It's the only one of its kind, and although it doesn't fulfill its intended purpose, I suppose Gate Hack 1.0 will allow you to travel between servers, and areas like Helba says…" Kasey grumbled. "A… Hack? But… That is…" I stammered. "What? Illegal? Oh give me a break!" Kasey shouted. "If you haven't noticed your not exactly playing by the rules yourself" Kasey said as she poked my breastplate. "But what about other functions, such as items, or skills?" I asked. "Tell me Stance, have you ever "Role-Played?" Helba asked. "Role Play...?" I asked. "The only items you will be able to use, are the ones you can carry. And as far as skills, and magic go…" Helba explained. "Well I suppose you will have to figure that one out for yourself" Helba chuckled. "Hey! This is not funny! What if I die while in this state? What will happen then?!" I shouted. "I suppose you will just reappear" Helba shrugged. "What do you mean, reappear?" I asked. "Just like anything else in The World, you would simply reappear as if you were a normal player. Although I cannot exactly say where, considering your situation" Helba explained. "What makes you so sure?" I asked. "It is the way of The World. Everything is recycled, and reused. When an AI dies, it simply reappears in a pre-programmed area, and continues with what it was previously doing. Players are no different; when they die they are sent back to the root town of whatever server they are located in, and they simply begin again. Although do not ask me where you would find yourself if you were to actually die; I would have to get a closer look at all that data that is you to find the answer" Helba explained. "So… There is no possibility of me just disappearing… Even if I die… I'll be alright?" I asked. "Nothing is truly deleted from The World. It just slips into the sea of data… And eventually ends up here, in Net Slum" Helba smirked. _It sounds… Far fetched… But then again, I'm not really in a position to call her a liar. That being the case, death is something I would like to avoid, especially since I can feel pain…_ "I have explained all that I am able too… The rest is now up to you" Helba said. "Ah… Wait, how would I find you if I need to speak with you?" I asked. "I'll find you" Helba said with a bow. "Hold on! Just how do I use this program!?" I shouted, but I was too late, Helba was gone.

"Ah… Miss Kasey… Could you perhaps… Help me?" I asked sheepishly. Kasey looked to her left, and then to her right "You're serious?" She asked with a dumbfounded expression. "Ah… Well… I am not entirely sure on how to operate your program…" I said sadly. "Oh man… This is just too much… The things I do for you" Kasey sighed. "Well, I suppose we should get back to a root town so I can give you a run down" Kasey sighed. "Accept my party invitation" Kasey sighed. "I… Um… Just how exactly do I accept it?" I asked with a nervous laugh. "What do you mean "How do I accept!?" Kasey shouted. "Agh! This is giving me a headache" Kasey moaned. "If it makes you feel any better, I am not enjoying myself either… But… I am in desperate need of your help… So please Kasey…" I pleaded. "Don't get all mushy with me…" She sighed. "It's too early to be dealing with this… Hold on Stance. Smoke break" Kasey sighed. "Ah… I'll just wait here…" I sighed. _Smoke break? So Kasey smokes… Not to surprising I suppose… I would have never guessed she was a hacker though… But then again she did say she did not like those that were obvious with their hacked characters… Maybe she enjoys creating new programs to use inside of The World… Or… Maybe she just has a problem with authority._ "Alright… I'm back" Kasey sighed. "Ah. Yes, thank you very much for your assistance. Miss Kasey" I said politely. "Oh? What's this? You accepted my party invitation?" Kasey asked. "I did?" I asked curiously. "What did you do?" She asked. "Ah… Nothing… I think" I shrugged. "You may just automatically accept party invitations. But then again I could be wrong. Let's try again" Kasey suggested. "Alright… I've disbanded the party and I will resend the invitation" Kasey explained. "And… It's sent. Anything different on your end?" Kasey asked. "No… Nothing." I said sadly. "Ah… Well I don't think it matters, because you accepted anyway… Well… I suppose we've solved that riddle. I suppose that makes it easier on others, but then again you don't have a choice when someone invites you to a party" Kasey shrugged. "A party is not to major… It will just allow others to view my health, and skill points. To me… It is practically worthless" I sighed. "Well then I suppose we can get this train wreck moving" Kasey sighed. "I'm the party leader, so you should be forced to **Δ Server** with me" Kasey explained. "Well, here we go" Kasey sighed. Within an instant my view of The World faded.

I appeared in Mac Anu; everything seemed more vivid, and realistic. It was hard to believe I was inside of a game. "Well, look at that… Here we are. Glorious Mac Anu" Kasey said listlessly. "Ah… So we are…" I said as I took in the surroundings. "Where is everyone?" I asked curiously. "School, jobs, sleeping. The World isn't densely populated in the early hours of the morning. "Ah…? Just what time is it?" I asked. "Just about seven thirty" Kasey responded. "School will be starting soon… And my friends will find out…" I sighed. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Kasey asked. "It could be… But… I've already worried them before…And since I won't be conscious…" I couldn't help but sigh. "Worried them before? Has something like this happened before?" Kasey asked. "Well… Tsukasa… He managed to knock me out in reality… But it wasn't like this…" I explained. "Wait. Hold it; Tsukasa? He knocked you out…? Four days ago…?" Kasey asked. "Ah… I think… three or four days… Yes" I nodded. "Strange, didn't think the knights were serious about him" Kasey said dismissively. "Ah well… I suppose that does not really matter now… Considering the situation I am in…. Tsukasa is not one of my prime concerns… Could you teach me how to use that program of yours?" I asked. "Hm, let me see it" Kasey commanded. I held out the small glowing orb that held the program Kasey has created. "You don't have the use of the item menu do you? So that means all the items you have will have to be personally carried by you… Man that really sucks for you" Kasey sighed. "Well… We have to find a way to secure the item. The last thing I need is you dropping it, and some dumbass picking it up" Kasey explained. "I did not exactly design Stance with that in mind… He doesn't have very many places to carry items… Only a few small pouches near his belt…" I said as I examined myself. "If that's the case then you risk letting others see the item… Damnit… Where could I put this where it would still function…? But remain hidden, and safe" Kasey pondered. "Aha! I got it!" Kasey said as she snapped her fingers. "Are you right or left handed?' She asked. "Right handed" I responded. "Alright! Give me the program, and remove the gauntlet on your right hand" Kasey commanded. "Ah… I suppose that makes sense. Hiding it beneath the gauntlet on my hand" I nodded as I gave her the small orb, and began to undo the armor around my hand. "Very well. Now what?" I asked as I held my hand out to Kasey. "I'll make a small incision" Kasey said as she quickly grabbed her dagger, and drove it down into my wrist.

"Ah! What the hell are you doing!?" I screamed as I jumped backwards. "Don't worry; we're in a root town. I didn't cause any real damage" Kasey chuckled. "That doesn't stop the pain you lunatic!" I screamed as I held my bleeding wrist. "Ah… That actually hurt?" Kasey asked. "Of course it hurt! Damnit all!" I screamed. "Ah… Hey, stop shouting you're going to draw attention" Kasey asked as she glared around Mac Anu. "What do you mean "Stop shouting" You just stabbed my wrist you… you… Dumbass!" I screamed. "Hey! Don't go insulting me! I'm only trying to help!" Kasey shouted. "How is this helping!?" I shouted. "Damnit, just give me your hand" Kasey grunted. She grabbed my hand, and shoved the small orb containing her program inside my wound. I cried out as the small object forced my wound open, and disappeared inside. "There!" Kasey said with a content smile. "That was your idea!? What good will it do me in there!? Better yet, what about my wound!? I need to dress it!" I shouted. "Do they even have dressings in this game!?" I shouted. "Oh… For the love of… "Repth!" Kasey shouted, casting a healing spell. The wound on my wrist sealed up, and the blood slowly vanished. I began to breathe normally as the pain slowly faded. "You are crazy" I sighed. "Look, how was I supposed to know it would hurt you? I just figured since we were in a root town you'd be alright" Kasey shrugged. "You could have asked! Or tested your theory first!" I shouted. "Look… I'm sorry, alright" Kasey sighed. "Ah… Alright… I feel better" I said as I examined my wrist. "Look I had to hide it. If players saw you carrying a strange looking item around they'd get suspicious. And then you could have the Crimson Knights coming after you, or even worse; the system administration" Kasey explained. "I… No, it's fine. I get it. Just… A little warning next time please. This isn't exactly easy for me… And being surprised like that doesn't help" I said coolly. "Alright, we've reached an understanding! I'm sorry for stabbing you, and you forgive me. Case closed" Kasey nodded. "Just… Teach me how to use it, please" I sighed.

"Alright, it's quite simple, and it should still function the same… The program is designed to create a replica of a Chaos Gate. As far as I know, it will work on all servers. Now as I said before the original intention of the program was to help me gain access to areas the administration sealed off. But of course I couldn't break through the protection because getting a virus in game now is impossible. It creates a copy in the exact position as the one you see in front of you" Kasey explained as she gestured towards the gate. "It spins at the same interval, and is a perfect match. The reason behind this is a pretty simple one. I mean, how obvious would it be to anyone that you were using some kind of hack, if another Chaos Gate suddenly appeared next to you, right?" Kasey asked. "Yeah. That makes sense" I nodded. "Now the program automatically creates a copy of the Gate the moment you come near the real Chaos Gate" Kasey said as she urged me forward. When you approach the chaos gate you should see a small display appear" Kasey said. She was right; a small window was floating above my wrist. "Yeah… It is right here, on my wrist" I said with a nod. "Looks like I know what I'm doing after all" Kasey grinned. "Alright, now the copy has been created. I shouldn't need to tell you this, but if you come near the Chaos Gate and you notice the replica spinning out of sync, or anything, you should run, find somewhere, and hide. Because chances are every player in the freaking area will start sending bug reports to the knights, and god knows who else… To put it simply; you just do not want to be in the immediate area" Kasey explained. 'Understood" I nodded. "Alright, now you should notice a small cross in the corner of the screen. That is created specifically for hacking into areas that are sealed off. Normally you could load viruses, bugs, and such into the program using that cross, and it would transmit the viruses to the protected area, and break the protection. Alright, now underneath the cross you will notice two small buttons that say: Execute, and Cancel. For the love of all that is scared; don't EVER press execute. That will activate the gate hacking process, and it will flood the server with a ridiculous amount of data. Normally that data would be forced into the sealed off area, along with the viruses. But since I cannot transmit a virus the data is sent to the field in question, and is immediately bounced back. All that data flooding back here will slow the server to a crawl, and eventually force it offline completely." Kasey explained. "Understood, avoid the execute button at all cost" I committed myself to remembering everything she explained. "Now, at the very top of the display you will see three empty spaces. That's where you would normally type in the area name of where you want to go, but since you can't actually type, you're going to have to say the name of the area, and pray the program, and The World takes pity on you" Kasey sighed. "I have to manually enter the keywords? That limits my usage of words to those I already know" I sighed. "It's better than nothing, isn't it?" Kasey asked. "Of course it is! You did not design this program with this kind of situation in mind" I said apologetically. "Alright. Well you're going to look really stupid doing this when a lot of players are around, so I suggest you keep that helmet of yours on… But lets give it a test" Kasey said. "Ah… Alright" I said confidently. "Will I need to include the server name as well?" I asked. "Yeah, you might as well say the whole thing, it won't make you look less dumb, that's for sure" Kasey sighed. "Very well" I nodded. "Delta! Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground!" I shouted as clearly as I could. "Man… That looked dumber than I thought it wou-" Kasey was cut off as she was warped out of the area with me.

"It worked" I sighed in relief. "Of course it did; I'm a genius" Kasey smirked. "Yes; thanks to you I have a means of travel!" I said happily. "All that's left to do now is wait for Helba" I sighed. "Don't hold your breathe. Helba has a knack for showing up at the last minute" Kasey sighed. "Ah… That is… Depressing…" I sighed. "I would like to return to reality as soon as possible" I heavily sighed. "It's not like I believe you… But can I ask you something Stance?" Kasey asked. "Yes, of course you can" I nodded. "What's it like? You know… Being inside The World?" Kasey asked. "It is… No different than the real world I suppose… It would be rather enjoyable if it were under more pleasurable circumstances" I explained. "Normally, you wear an HMD, and your character is bound by certain rules. I mean, as vast as The World is, you are still limited. Combat, walking, expressing emotions, there are a finite numbers of animations. But it is not the same with me… I'm not bound by those rules." I explained. "I mean… Take my helmet for instance" I said. "I'm starting to sweat, and I am getting kind of dizzy because it is somewhat difficult to see out of it" I explained. "I am not quite sure how many animations there are for the removal of a helmet, but eventually you would see them all, and cycle would begin again. But I do not think it is the same with me" I explained. "I can remove it how I want" I said as I grabbed the edge of my helmet, and slid it off my head. "It has weight, it feels so real… Maybe because… For me… It is" I smirked as I examined the helmet. "If I so desired… I could try and put my helmet on backwards" I explained. "Or I could simply throw it away" I tossed my helmet on the ground in front of me. "You are limited in your actions, and cannot do either" I explained. "It's actually a pretty surreal experience… Player Characters are just that. An image that represents the player… But… It's strange… They seem more three dimensional now… It may sound strange, but… The woman in front of me is more than a player character… Maybe not to you, but… It seems so human, its kind of strange when I think about this seemingly human being in front of me, is being controlled by someone with a mere controller" I explained. "You even have a scent" I said awkwardly. "Oh? Well, do I smell good?" Kasey asked. "It is pleasant" I nodded. "I feel everything… The cold breeze in this area. The ground we're standing on… Even the stone that this bridge is made of" I explained. "It makes me shiver when I think how it is all possible… But as good as I have made it sound… I feel pretty lonely" I sighed. "Lonely? My company not good enough?" Kasey huffed. "That's not what I meant" I said seriously. "It feels like I am the only human… If I can even be considered human now" I chuckled. "The game ends when you take off the HMD, then you can go back to your friends, and family. Me? I'm stuck like this…" I sighed. "Ha! You should consider yourself lucky" Kasey laughed. "Lucky? In what way?" I asked. "You've done something no hacker has ever been able to do" Kasey said. "Oh? Just what exactly have I accomplished?" I asked. "You've utterly defied the system. I used to dream about being able to do something like that" Kasey chuckled. "You used to dream about something as mundane as that? Kasey… I had no idea you were a hacker. Why would you do something like that?" I asked curiously. "I've got a problem with authority" Kasey shrugged. "When someone says: "Don't do that" It simply makes me want to do it more. Don't you ever get that feeling?" Kasey asked. "I do… but I simply ignore it" I chuckled. "Well… I don't wanna bore you with my sob story, so I'll just fill you in on the basics. When I was little my father divorced my mother, and using some stupid law that existed at the time, took pretty much everything she owned. Except me; of course" Kasey explained. "Ever since I've just hated rules. The only people they hurt are those that are already suffering. Rules are created by greedy bastards at the top of the food chain to oppress the ones below. So whenever I get a chance, I break a rule. It may not do much, but get the satisfaction of knowing that somewhere, I pissed off some jerk" Kasey explained. "So… That is the reason you are a hacker?" I asked. "Its one of them. I mean, breaking rules in real life can come with some pretty bad repercussions. I started playing this game as an outlet; so I wouldn't be so hasty about breaking rules in reality. Sure it was fun starting off. I could kill anyone I wanted, scam them for items… But it was not against the rules! It was just considered "improper", nothing more than a taboo. And let me tell you, those are the worst kinds of rules" Kasey explained. "Unwritten rules that everyone blindly follows. Makes me sick just thinking about it" Kasey shivered. "Hacking was the only real way to break any 'real' rules. It started off pretty boring, but then I got really interested. Of course it was eventually ruined by a band of morons" Kasey sighed. "I do not believe I have ever encountered a genuine hacker before" I said. "Not surprising. Idiots that do it for the sole reason of showing off are normally banned before they know what happened. You've gotta be subtle about it" Kasey sighed. "Well… I certainly do have a new found respect for hackers" I said happily. "Ah… Well I have a new found respect for you, at least" I corrected myself. "Oh, that reminds me. About that email you sent me. You said you wanted help finding out where those monsters were coming from; like the one Tsukasa has, right?" Kasey asked. "I did…? Ah… Yeah… I remember the email. What about it?" I asked. "Those monsters, you want to find out where they are coming from right?" Kasey asked. "I suppose… Tsukasa has one, and if I am to believe Subaru, he is in the same situation as I" I explained. "Tsukasa is stuck inside The World too? Subaru told you that?" Kasey asked. "Before she kicked me from the knights... Of course I believed her; I am nothing like you. I don't ask questions to those I look up too. Even now, she could tell me the sky is falling, and I would probably run for cover" I chuckled. "So… Tsukasa is like you?" Kasey wondered aloud. "I found it hard to believe when I first heard it… But now… She has to be telling the truth" I said. "Well, do you suppose that Tsukasa actually has the Key of the Twilight? As the rumor suggests?" Kasey asked. "It is possible… But the rumors… Well, the rumor that I know of; if they are true… Then it should be able to do anything right?" I asked. "An item rumored to bypass the very system of The World… If you ask me, it looks like you've already obtained it" Kasey chuckled. "But that's just it… I never found an item. It was that damned cat… And Morganna; as Helba called her" I explained. "What's more… If Tsukasa has the key; then why would he remain in The World? It would make sense to try and use the key to log out, and get back to your body in reality would it not?" I asked. "Maybe so… But then again Tsukasa may like being inside The World… I mean, you had that little fit back in Net Slum… But you seem to be handling yourself well enough" Kasey shrugged. "Maybe on the outside… I feel so helpless; all I can really do is laugh… My body is shaking, even though it is not that cold here… I think I am having a nervous breakdown… But I think I am ok, since I am actually aware of it" I laughed. "Oh." Kasey said nervously. "Helba is just studding the code that I am made up of… I have nothing else to do, so I think I am going to search for the Key of the Twilight. I am in not position to deny its existence; infact it must be real, it has to be… And if Tsukasa has it… I will take it from him… I want out of here…" I grunted. "Ha! You know… I knew from the moment I saw you interesting things would happen if I stuck around! Well, you're not going to look for it alone. I'll help you!" Kasey cheered. "Oh? Thank you very much Miss Kasey! It will be easier with someone who has access to the message board" I said with a deep bow. "Please stop with the formalities. They make my skin crawl" Kasey sighed. "Ah… Of course. Forgive me" I said apologetically. "Listen up Stance. I've gotta head out to work, so I'm gonna have to leave you for now. Will you be alright?" Kasey asked. "I should be… Helba did say I would not have to worry about permanently dying… Not that I intend to test her theory, atleast not intentionally" I smiled. "You sure? What will you do?" Kasey asked curiously. "I never really checked the message boards… So as far as leads on the key… Well I have none… I suppose I will just wait until you return. Or until one of my friends from reality logs on" I shrugged. "It will be difficult to find them without the use of private messaging… But I think I know them well enough" I chuckled. "Besides… I thought you didn't believe me?" I smirked. "Oh shut up" Kasey sighed. "Now all I have to do is convince my friends, and find out what has happened to my body" I sighed. "Your body… Hey… Stance, about that" Kasey said sheepishly. "What about it?" I asked. "I don't think you need to worry about it. I'm sure one of your friends discovered it when they went by to check up on you, you know? It's probably in a hospital somewhere" Kasey explained. "Wait, what makes you think that?" I asked curiously. "A hunch, that's all. Anyway, I'm already late for work Stance. Don't give yourself a heart attack worrying over your body, it's in good hands, I'm sure" Kasey said confidently. "Yeah… The doctors in my area are good… They'll take care of me" I said, trying to convince myself. "Yeah, ok Stance. I'll see you whenever!" Kasey said cheerfully as she gated out of the area. _She's gone… And now I'm alone… _I fell backwards into the ground, and began to laugh. "Why? What did I do to deserve this?" I laughed. "Is it some kind of punishment? Did I play to many games? Maybe I wasn't pious enough?" I gasped between laughter. I lay there laughing until my lungs began to ache. "Ha… Ha… I feel better… Yeah… I needed that…" I sighed. "Lying around will not do me any good. I need to make the best of the situation. I am stuck inside of a game, surely I can find someway to occupy myself until Kasey, or Dash gets online" I said thoughtfully. "I know what I will do… I… For the first time in… Ah… A really long time… I…Will… Socialize!" I said as I pumped my fist. I grabbed my helmet, and used Kasey's program to gate out of the area.

"I have always admired how Mac Anu looks… Being in this state only makes it look better" I stared in awe at the various buildings, and canals that made up Mac Anu. "Well… I suppose I shall take a walk around the city" I nodded. I made my way towards the bridge in central Mac Anu; it was normally the most populated area. "I have never been online at such an hour… Not many people around…" I gasped as I looked around the seemingly empty Mac Anu. "Ah, I have found one" I said as I spotted a nearby player. The player was a rather short female, she wore a heavy red, and white robe, and had a rather odd looking head piece that highlighted her extremely long pig tails. "Miss, excuse me" I said politely as I neared her. "Oh? Oh yeah! Hey!" She quickly spun around and shouted. "Ah… Yes, hello, miss" I said nervously. "Hey, Hey! What's your name!?" She shouted. "Ah… It is Stance. What may I ask is yours?" I asked. "The name's Henako! I'm the goddess of love, and it must be fate that we've met like this!" Henako cheered. "Goddess of love? Wait, what are you talking about?" I asked. "Have you come to get your fortune read by Henako?" She asked excitedly. "Ah… You can read fortunes…? I suppose that would be alright" I said thoughtfully. "Ah ha! I can see it!" Henako shouted as she grabbed my hand, and examined my palm. "Oh? What do you see?" I asked curiously. "Its you…" She gasped. "Me…? What about me? Is it something bad?" I asked curiously. "Your past life…" Henako said as she studied my palm. "Past life…? What about my past life?" I asked anxiously. "Yes, I can see it! You were in love, with… Henako!" She shouted. "Wait, what did you say?" I asked as I pulled my hand away from her. "Henamon get! Henapi: Level five!" She cheered. "What are you talking about? I don't understand" I sighed. "I'll attack you with Hena Vibe!" Henako winked, and then blew a kiss in my direction. "Ah… I am flattered, but I just remembered I have to be somewhere…" I said nervously. "I'll get you with Hena hold!" Henako jumped forward, and latched onto my torso. "What are you doing!? Get off of me!" I commanded. "Kiss!" She commanded as she shoved her face near mine. "No means no!" I shouted as I grabbed hold of her, and dropped her onto the ground. "You, young lady; need to be more considerate of others! It is extremely rude to go around and invade other's personal space like you just did" I lectured her. "Henako is tired… Henako is out of energy… Time for sleep… Good night says Henako" She said as she fell backwards on the ground. "Hey! Do not ignore me!" I shouted as I tapped her with my foot. "The nerve of some people" I grunted as I left her on the ground, and continued deeper into Mac Anu.

"She was really annoying… Her parents should have been around more often" I grunted. "Maybe she's got some kind of illness?" I wondered aloud. "Hey pal, come over here will ya" A rather sleazy looking blade master whispered. "You have something you wish to say? Very well" I nodded politely. "Yeah, come over here, I don't; want others to hear this" He said as he cautiously looked about the area. "It had better be important…" I grunted. He grinned when I came near, but his character was missing a great number of teeth, on top of that he stank, and was unclean, as if he had never bathed… He was down right unpleasant. "Hey pal, name's M-78" He whispered. "It is an… Oh man… It is an honor!" I said, trying not to breathe through my nose. "You look like an interesting guy… You wanna know a secret?" He asked cautiously. "Do not come any closer" I jrlf my nose and commanded. "But yes, what secret are you speaking of?" I asked curiously. "He man, look… I know where the Key of the Twilight is…" M-78 whispered. "The Key? You know its location? I demand you tell me its location!" I commanded. "Calm down pal… I'm just gonna need a little money to… Cover my expenses" M-78 sneered. "A fee? I suppose you must have worked hard in obtaining this information. How much GP will you need?" I asked curiously. "Oh, about around ten thousand GP" he chuckled. "That is… Quite a lot… But I think I have enough" I said as I searched the pockets of Stance's belt. "Here we are…" I said as I began to count out ten thousand GP. _Not to different from Yen in terms of value…And their marked so I do not have to estimate. It is strange, but I have never really seen GP like this… Little coins…_ "This should be enough" I nodded as I handed him. "Yeah… Thanks man… Now listen closely, because I don't want everyone to know" He whispered. "It is at **Θ Seeding False Fate Castle**" He explained. "I see… Well if you will excuse me. I must be going" I said with a polite bow. "Yeah, I'll see you later" M-78 grunted. I gasped out for air the moment he was out of earshot "By the stars… Why would anyone intentionally make their character like that…?" I asked. "Well, he has given me the only lead on the Key… It looks like I am going to have to go to a field. Sooner or later I would have to get a handle on how to defend myself now that I am like this… I will kill two birds with one stone" I said confidently. _Recovery could be hard considering I am limited on what I carry… I should buy a piece of equipment that allows me to heal myself… Normally the headgear dictates spells like that… Mine protects me against the effects of charm… But since Kaochin and I are allies, I really have no use for it… _"I will be fine, just gotta get a piece of armor that allows me to cast repth" I nodded. Since not many people were accessing The World, the weapon shop was deserted. I approached the counter, and asked the shop keeper to recommend an item for me that would allow me to heal myself. The shop keeper nodded, and handed me an item that would suit my needs. I gave him my last bit of GP, and then continued towards the towns Chaos Gate. As I neared the small display appeared on my wrist, and I made sure the copy Chaos Gate was in sync with the real one. "Alright… Well to get to a root town, I suppose all I have to do is say: Theta! Highland City, Dun Loireag!" I shouted as I held my wrist high into the air. Within seconds I was whisked away.

"Dun Loireag… I like it… Makes me feel refreshed" I said as I scanned my surroundings. "Although… I am a little unsteady when it comes to those flimsy looking bridges that connect the mountains…" I sighed to myself. "Is it possible for me to fall?" I asked myself. "Best not to even try… I should be able to handle myself in this dungeon, considering that with my level I should probably be in Lambda Server…" I said thoughtfully. "Excuse me, would you happen to be Stance?" someone behind me asked in a soft voice. "That is correct; who may I ask are you?" I turned to face a small wave master; she wore large glasses that easily covered up at least half of her face. Like most wave masters she was garbed in colorful robes, and she carried a large staff as well. "You are a friend of Carl's right?" She asked as she stopped her glasses from falling off her face. "A friend…? Of Carls?" I couldn't help but laugh at the mere thought. "She spoke of you…" The small wave master said timidly. "She did? What did she say?" I asked curiously. "She told me about how you two killed many Crimson Knights, but Orca of the Azure Seas stopped you" the wavemaster explained. "Ah… Yes… Well… I do have a personal grudge against the knights" I said awkwardly. "Have you seen Carl recently?" she asked. "Ah no… She may be at school, or perhaps she is working at her job?" I suggested. "No… She wasn't at school today" the wavemaster sighed. "Excuse me… But did you say… "Wasn't?" I asked. "Ah, yes I did" She nodded. "Past tense? Hey, can you tell me what time it is?" I asked seriously. "Almost twelve thirty… Don't you have a clock?" she asked curiously. _Twelve thirty!? But… It was just… I thought I was only… What the hell did I do for so long? My sense of time must really be off…_ "I'm worried about Carl" the small wave master sighed. "She's been acting strange lately" she added. "She does have a rather rotten attitude" I said thoughtfully. "No… She's always been like that… But all this player killing… Scamming others… It's all new" She sighed. "Well… It is probably nothing too serious. Maybe she is just playing the game from a different angle, or maybe she is doing it to help her cope with problems in reality; their could be a multitude of reasons. But just because someone suddenly starts to PK, or trick other players doesn't mean they are in trouble" I explained. "Maybe you're right…" She sighed. "Carl, and I are in the same guild; I'll keep an eye on her, alright?" I said seriously. "That would be great! Here is my member address!" the small wave master squealed. "Ah yes… And by extension you have received mine… correct?" I asked nervously, not knowing how I would accept her request, let alone send her my member address. "That's how it works! Yep; I have yours" She nodded. "Strange… I have been having problems regarding member addresses recently" I said dismissively. "Oh! By the way, I'm Alph" She said with a gentle wave. "It is an honor to be formally introduced, Miss Alph" I said with a bow. _Why can't more players be this respectful?_ "Yes, it is nice to meet you as well!" Alph said cheerfully. "What were you doing before I spoke to you though?" Alph asked. _Ha… I must have looked really foolish talking to myself…_ "I was about to head out to a field, and perhaps it's dungeon as well" I explained. "Oh? Would you like some company?" Alph asked. _Bringing her wouldn't hurt. I need all the help I can get; of course I won't mention the Key of the Twilight. _"Company would be great, would you like time to prepare, or should we move out now?" I asked politely. "I'm ready to go. I was going to play with Alph… but since she never showed up" Alph sighed. "I see… Well, then… We are going to **Θ Seeding False Fate Castle**." I explained. "Alright! Lead the way!" Alph cheered. _Of course she doesn't want to lead… Great…_ I turned to the Chaos Gate, and help up my right hand. "Theta, Seeding False Fate Castle!" I shouted as loud as I could.

Alph, and I appeared in the middle of a thick, and lush forest, it was fairly pleasant, but not what I was hoping for. _Damnit… The field in this area is no different than a dungeon. The moment combat starts, we will be locked inside with the monsters… No retreat… _"Do you always yell out the keywords like that?" Alph asked. "Ah… Well… It is more dramatic, is it not?" I asked nervously. "I suppose" Alph looked at me suspiciously. "It creates ambiance…" I murmured as I scanned the area. "I really don't like these areas" Alph sighed. "Oh? Why is that?" I asked. "The background music really gets annoying after awhile" She sighed. "Ah… Yeah… You are right" I nodded. _Thank the heavens I do not have to listen to the background music… I would probably go insane having music play everywhere I went_. I heaved a mental sigh. "Well… Let's get going, shall we?" Alph asked. "Ah… Yeah…" I slowly nodded. _I'm getting really nervous… My knees are shaking… I must look ridiculous… This must be how a knight felt before he marched into battle… I'll be fine… Yeah… I can do this! _"Are you coming?" Alph asked as she pointed to the next area. "Ah! Yes of course!" I said, forcing my feet forward. The next area didn't have any monsters. _Thankfully…_ But there was a deep hole, and that alone was enough to cause me to recoil, in fear. "Nothing here… Well… Left or right?" Alph asked as she pointed at the two "doorways" in the trees. "Ah… Left" I said nervously. _I am such a coward… Things are so easy when it's not actually my neck on the line…_ I sighed again as we entered the next area. "Empty again?" Alph grunted. "Yeah… The whole area could be empty…" I said, trying to hide my relief. "Well, let's keep going" Alph sighed. "Ah… Yeah…" I sighed.

We entered the next area; before us stood a magic portal. To Alph, it was probably a chance to have some fun; she was overjoyed by seeing it. I on the other hand was frozen with fear; whatever monster that portal summoned could physically harm me. Everything seemed to slow down as the portal began spinning faster, and faster, soon it stopped and burst in a show of bright lights. Two large creatures appeared, one was a giant crab, with huge ominous claws. I recognized it as a Red Scissors monster. The other was a familiar Hell Hound, which was covered in fire. Alph took the initiative, and started casting spells. "GiRue Kruz!" She shouted. Large chunks of ice appeared from thin air, and barraged the Hell Hound. The Red Scissors pushed past the chunks of ice with ease, and charged towards me. I clumsily drew my sword, and brought it into a defensive position. I didn't have time to think, I didn't really understand what was going on. As I stood there dazed, the Red Scissors gripped me firmly with its claws, and lifted me into the air. My armor was doing its job, and I wasn't experiencing any serious pain, but the shock of it, caused me to drop my sword, and I began to panic as I felt my armor buckling under its ever tightening grip. "Hang on Stance! It's a water elemental monster, my spells won't work!" Alph said as she frantically dodged the Hell Hound's attacks. I didn't understand what she was saying. The armor around my torso was beginning to break; I began to feel a tremendous pressure around my abdomen, I frantically kicked my feet, and slammed my fist against his claw, trying to free myself. My armor shattered, and his claws smashed into my bare abdomen, my body tensed up with the pain, and I stopped resisting. The Red Scissors playfully moved its claw around, its claw tightening around my abdomen with each movement. _At this rate, it's going to tear me in half! I've got to do something to free myself… My legs… Can I jump as high as I used to? _"Worth a shot…" I grunted as I tried to block out the pain around my abdomen. _It can only move its claw up so far… If I can jump right when the monster moves its claw up, I could probably use the extra momentum to free myself! _The monster whirled me around; eventually it moved me close enough for my feet to touch the ground. I put every ounce of energy into my legs, and pushed up with all my might. I sprang forward, and the monster's claw flew with me.

The Red Scissors easily halted my jump, and brought its claw crashing down to the ground. I let out a loud scream as my legs buckled under the pressure. There were a series of horrifying cracks as the creature slid his claw along the ground. I am certain anyone would have passed out if this was reality, but I was forced to stay awake, my legs were utterly broken, and they simply dangled in the wind. They soon stopped aching, but that could be because they were no longer attached to my body, I had no way of knowing. The crab moved his claw in front of its freakish face, it's oddly shaped eyes were studding me. _Ha… Is it taunting me…? This stupid AI is taunting me…_ "What… Are you waiting for?" I gasped as I clumsily grabbed onto his claw. "Taunting me like this… Go ahead! Finish me!" I shouted as I slammed my fist against his claw. "You had better get me in one swipe, because if you let me go, I will make you suffer!" I shouted in the Red Scissors face. The Red Scissors let lose a disgusting grunt, then moved me closer to its face. "Are you laughing at me!? You pathetic shell fish!?" I screamed. The Red Scissors brought its other claw around my neck, and slowly began to close it. "Oh!? That's smart! I hope it kills me, because I swear to you; the moment I get back on my feet, I am going to make you suffer" I began to laugh as its claws neared my neck. "Go! Do it! Look deep into my eyes, and decapitate me!" I laughed hysterically. The Red Scissors slowly withdrew its claw, and brought its face close to mine. "What's the matter!? Not gruesome enough!? You want to eat me instead!? Go ahead! I will tear my way out of your stomach!" I laughed hysterically. "GiRue Kruz!" Alph shouted. Large chunks of ice slammed into the Red Scissors body. It diverted its attention to me, and looked over at Alph. "Hey!" I screamed as I grabbed its eye stalk. "I am over here!" I shouted as I tugged as hard as I could on its eye stalk. "You did not forget about me did you?" I shouted as the Red Scissors began to trip over itself. It squeezed its claw together, causing me to cough up a great deal of blood into my helmet. Fortunately, by body jerked back, this caused me to pull its eye completely out of its head. The crab dropped me on the ground, and began to slam its claws into the ground in anger. "Ol Repth!" Alph shouted as she cast a healing spell on me. My body was relived of its pain, and my legs started to function again. "Once more… Please" I begged Alph. "Ol Repth!" She shouted again. This time my entire body felt great, and my armor had been fully repaired. "Much better" I grunted as I clumsily stood. I grabbed my sword, and turned to face the Red Scissors who was writing in agony. "Haha… I told you didn't I?" I laughed. _That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced… But I don't have a choice… I have to fight… So…_ "If that is the best this world has to offer… Then I am not impressed!" I shouted as I stepped forward. "This fear of death ends right here! I was more than capable of handling the likes of you before! All that's changed is I have more to fight for now…" I sneered. "You can't help me against him can you, Alph?" I asked. "No… We're of the same element, so my attacks won't do any good" Alph sighed. "Good, I just want you to heal me. Can you do that?" I asked. "You want me on first aid? No problem" Alph nodded. _I've made it angry, but I don't think I accomplished much else… Its vision must not be affected. _"Figures… Pulling out its eye was just a waste of time" I grunted. _Even though it only has one eye, it is going to behave like it still has two… Meaning it doesn't have a blind spot… So in the end, I really do not have any advantages in terms of combat… Infact this whole situation just puts me at a disadvantage… Damn! Not only that, I have no idea how to swing a sword… _"If only James were here… He could put a positive spin on this…" I sighed as I got a feel for the weight of my sword. _Stance holds his sword with one hand… I am Stance now, so it would only make sense that everything he was capable of doing; I can do as well. _I mimicked Stance's combat stance, and charged forward. The Red Scissors reared its claw back, and pushed it forward with great force. Acting on impulse, I jumped into the air, and landed on its claw. My landing was anything but graceful, and I nearly fell off; but I managed to keep my balance as I ran along its arm, onto its head. I shouted as loud as I could, as I shoved my blade down into the Red Scissors head. The blade pierced the monster's shell with relative ease; it reacted instantly by stomping around, and swatting its claws at me. I quickly withdrew my sword from its head, and tried to block its attacks, but I was to slow, and it knocked me off its head; the blow caused me to drop my weapon in the process. I wasn't really hurt, but the shock of the fall caused me to lose my breath, and I struggled to stand. _My sword isn't my only means of attack; I can use magic too… But how!? Whenever magic or a skill is used, Stance shouts at what he wants to do… So… In theory…_ "BiAni Don!" I shouted as I opened my hand, and aimed it towards the Red Scissors.

The spell succeeded, and a large skull bathed in a eerie purple aura shot from my hand, and slammed into the monster. It stumbled around trying to keep its balance, and would occasionally trip over one of its many legs. "I do not require my sword to beat the likes of you!" I smirked. I moved my other hand in the same position, and began to cast the spell as fast as I could. All of my attacks slammed into the monster, and it fell backwards, landing on its back as it did. "No way to defend yourself now!" I shouted as I ran for my weapon, and grabbed it. "Let us see how well protected that stomach of yours is!" I shouted. I ran forward, and jammed my weapon into its defenseless gut; I quickly withdrew it, and stabbed at it as many times as I could. Eventually the monster stopped squirming, and it turned a dull grey, indicating it was defeated. I chuckled as I shoved my weapon into once more. "What went wrong? You had me!" I laughed. "I told you to kill me when you had the chance, did I not!?" I shouted. The creature disappeared when I removed my weapon from its body, Alph ran over to me with a rather puzzled expression on her face. "You… Really got into it huh?" Alph said nervously. "Oh…? Uh… Yeah, a good fight is always enjoyable" I said nervously. "Yeah? I've only played as Alph, and she is a wave master, so I really can't say I'd know" Alph sighed. "Wave masters have an important role too! You kept me healed didn't you?" I said trying to make her feel better. "And you took care of that hell hound without any trouble, that is very impressive" I nodded. "It didn't stand a chance against my water based spells, it really wasn't a fair fight" Alph shrugged. "It should have known better than to mess with you then. A foolish mistake, wouldn't you say?" I said, trying my best to praise her. "Yeah I suppose…" Alph said meekly. "Just support me with your magic, and I'll defend you against the monsters. We'll reach the bottom of this dungeon in no time!" I said as I pointed towards the dungeon. "Yeah, let's head to the bottom!" Alph cheered. _My heart is still beating fast… Man… What an experience… I feel exhausted… And we haven't even entered the dungeon yet. Fighting like this is not easy… But the adrenaline it produces is almost intoxicating. My hands won't stop shaking… Haha… I am a nervous wreck! But I have to keep going. I have to find The Key of the Twilight. _"Let us continue" I said as I entered the dungeon.

The dungeon was littered with monsters, but I slowly began to understand what I was capable of, and before long killing the monsters was easy. Alph got curious as to why I was searching every nook, and cranny of the dungeon, but I couldn't just tell her I was looking for The key of the Twilight. On top of that, her water spells were practically useless against all the water based monsters that were in the dungeon, although her assistance with healing easily made up for it. I didn't have a map, and at times I would lead us in circles, or back into a room we already checked, but I told Alph that I enjoyed playing without a map, as it drew me into the game more. She believed it, oddly enough… She seems very naïve, but I suppose I shouldn't be so rude. She talked a lot about Carl though; it's really odd to think of Carl having such a nice friend like Alph. They know each other in reality, and are good friends, that much I know. She wasn't really open with her personal life, which is good, because it would be very rude of her to just blurt out Carl's personal information. Speaking of Carl… What am I going to do about the iniquity knights? Kaochin will obviously want me to help her fight the knights… But that would put me in a bad situation where I could easily be killed… Still… If I suddenly decide to disobey her, she could just as easily be the one who kills me… And I did give her my word afterall…

"Purple mist…" I sighed as I starred into the room ahead of me. "A boss?" Alph gasped. "Looks that way…" I sighed. "Think we can take it?" Alph asked. "We've come too far to leave now… We have to press onward" I said mustering up what courage I could. "We're going!" I shouted as I readied my sword, and charged forward. "Alright!" Alph cheered as she stepped forward. As I entered the next room, I heard a dull thud behind me. I looked back to find Alph lying on the floor; she had tripped. "Alph! Are you alright?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess I missed that rock there" She nervously laughed. "Get up fast, I'll need your…" The door in front of me suddenly slammed shut, locking me in the room. "Damnit! I triggered the magic portal!" I shouted as I turned around. The room was empty, a magic portal had to have activated for the door to shut, but I couldn't find a monster. "Alph is probably trying to PM me… It's a shame I can't respond to her…" I sighed. I kept my sword ready and slowly stepped out into the center of the room. Their is a chest in the north side of the room, and some derelict skeletons in the west side… But no monster. "There has to be a monster in here…" I grunted as I made my way over to the skeletons. They were sitting in the fetal position, and remained motionless; normally breaking them would grant the player a mundane item such as a healing potion. I reared my sword back, and destroyed one of the skeletons. A small healing potion burst from its skeletal remains, and I quickly pocketed the small item. "Of course that didn't do anything…" I sighed. "Something is watching me… I can feel it…" I said as I turned to the other skeleton. I quickly slashed at it, and destroyed it as well. No potion emerged from its body; instead a large skull burst from the ground. It was larger than my head, and it looked directly at me. "What the hell!?" I shouted as I grabbed my weapon, and began to backpedal from the skull. The skull was attached to something, and that something was obviously underground. I wasted no time, I charged forward, and ducked under its attempt to bite me, cutting it as I passed. The skull screamed before it ducked back into the ground. "Just what the hell is going on?" I shouted. The ground began to shake as the creature pulled itself up from the earth.

It resembled a giant, it was clad in green armor, but was oddly enough missing its head. In one hand it held a large sword, that easily outclassed my own, and in the other was a large skull, probably it's own. "You have to be kidding me… Alph chooses now of all times to goof up?! Damnit all, she has no idea what kind of situation I am in!" I shouted. _It's a Head-Hunter, a pretty tough boss that most people have trouble defeating in groups… I am by myself… Not only that… It's obviously of the dark element, meaning my magic, and skills are utterly useless against it…_ "I'll have to rely on regular attacks and my speed to win this battle…" I said trying to formulate a plan of attack. _That skull is either its weak point, or a shield of some sort. It doesn't make any attempt to hide it; so I doubt it's a weak spot… Of course the developers could have done that on purpose…_ "They sure as hell didn't design this monster with my kind of situation in mind!" I screamed. "Come on… I don't intend to die!" I charged towards the monster. The Head-Hunter swung its sword at me; but I was easily able to duck under its slow attack. "You are open!" I recovered from my dive, and began to slash at its stomach. Slashing at its heavy armor was pointless, so I put all of my strength into one attack, and thrust my sword forward piercing the monsters armor. "Got you…" I sighed with relief.

The Head-Hunter used its free hand, and violently swatted me away, causing me to crash into a nearby wall. I coughed as I felt around for my sword which was knocked away from me. "It didn't kill it… But it should be wounded…" I grabbed my sword and used it as leverage to stand. The Head-Hunter slowly stumbled towards me at a clumsy gait. I glared at the wound I left on the monster's stomach with extreme shock. The hole I left with my attack sealed up right before me. "Regeneration…?" I gasped. "No… This creature can't cast curative magic…" I tried to regain my composure. "Alright… One more try…" I grunted and stood on my own. "Repth!" I healed myself as best I could, and gripped my sword. "I'll kill you!" I shouted and charged towards the monster again. The Head-Hunter brought its large sword crashing down horizontally; I barely managed to roll out of the way. "An opening!" I noticed the Head-Hunter's sword was lodged into the ground. "You're finished!" I jumped in the air, and brought my sword crashing down on the Head-Hunter's arm. It violently jerked as I sliced it down the middle. The Head-Hunter roared and stumbled backwards. "I did it…" I gasped as I studied the Head-Hunters severed arm that still gripped its sword that was lodged in the ground. "Beaten… You are beaten…" I sighed with relief as I returned my gaze to the Head-Hunter.

"What!?"

The Head Hunter's arm suddenly reappeared on its body; sword in hand. The monster stopped its stumbling, and began its previous trek towards me. "What!? How is that possible!?" I shouted. "I killed you… I saw you die!" I shouted towards the monster. _What could it be!? Why won't it die…That attack should have finished him… I was extremely lucky it was as damaging as it was… How did it regenerate its arm!?_ "Could it be…? Physical resistance?" I asked myself. "Fine… If that's how you want it… I'll use magic!" I slammed me sword in the ground. "I wonder whose darkness element is stronger… Yours or mine!?" I shouted to the monster. "Ap Corma!" I threw my hands in the air, and cast a spell that raised my magical attack. My body was surrounded in a white aura indicating my stat boost. "Ap Anid!" I cast another strengthening spell, this one boosted my Darkness attribute, increasing my Darkness related skills, and magic. "My body…" I grunted as the aura around me turned changed colors to reflect my boosted dark element. "Take this!" I held both of my hands out in front of me. "MeAni Zot!" I cast one of my two darkness spells. A large number of spikes rose from the ground and impaled the Head-Hunter. The monster was pinned to the ground; the spikes holding it in place. "BiAni Don!" I cast my favored Darkness spell; sending out a small orb of dark energy. It slammed into the Head-Hunter engulfing it in a dark hazy mist. "I'll leave nothing left!" I began to cast the spell continuously. With each spell that hit the mist became denser. I continued my barrage of spells until I couldn't continue. My body was numb, and my head was aching. "Dead… Is it dead?" I gasped as I fell to my knees. Over using my SP, combined with those strengthening spells obviously took its toll on my body. I gasped for breath as I desperately searched through the dark mist.

The monster's large sword emerged from the mist, tearing into my body; splitting my chest open. The force of the blow sent me rolling backwards into a wall. "I don't get it…" my body refused to move, and I had trouble breathing. My gazed was focused on the creature in front of me: The Immortal Head-Hunter. "Why won't it die…?" I gasped for air. The Head-Hunter slowly marched towards me, the skull on its hand, let out a ghastly laugh as it neared. "What is going on…? Why am I like this…? Why won't this monster die…?" I slammed my fist against the ground. I glared up at my executioner, the Head-Hunter. "All I want is a damn answer! Why!" I screamed as loud as I could. I dropped my hand, and buried my head into the floor. _I've lost… Just make it quick…_ I accepted the violent death the monster above me brought.

I lye there motionless, waiting for the Head-Hunter's sword to end my life; but the end never came. I slowly rolled my body to the side, and glared up at the Head-Hunter. A long tentacle had pierced the monster through the chest; a bright light emerged from the wound the tentacle created, evaporating the Head-Hunter, leaving a small pumpkin in its stead. I glared up at the creature that had killed off the Head-Hunter.

A gelatinous barbell shaped monster retracted its tentacles, directed its attention towards me. The creature's tentacles reemerged and closed in on my defenseless body.

**(The World is a large place, that being said: if you have ideas for characters, or one of your own design send an email or message my way describing this character, and I'll see if I can't give him or her a cameo! Just dexcribe your characters personality, and basic apperance. Don't forget to include his or her class as well!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**.Hack****//**** Vision**

Chapter 11: Party

Important events in the .hack Timeline:

Perspective: Dash

_"What a rotten day…" it was morning, and the teacher was explaining some complicated math formula, but it was the furthest thing from my mind. Normally I could listen to the teacher, while doing other things, like talking to other students, reading a book, and in some cases sleeping. It always annoyed Kane that I could sleep the class away and still pass… But today… The teacher seemed to be speaking in a foreign language… Well… Technically to me, he was. But it wasn't English, or Japanese. The words coming out of his mouth didn't register with my brain, so I just sat there holding my tired head up with my hand. "Time…?" I glanced down at my watch. "Figures…" I sighed mentally when I realized virtually no time had passed since I last looked at my watch. I swear: If one person says time just flew by during this lecture, I'm going to punch them. It's been an absolutely rotten day, has been ever since last night. _

_Asaoka returned to Kane's house, she left some of her cloths over there or something… She found Kane passed out on the floor again. That idiot was knocked out while playing The World… It tore Asaoka up, but all it did to me was make me extremely angry. I was willing to put this whole Tsukasa thing behind us, but he goes and does something like this…Does he think the world revolves around him? What about his friends and family in reality!? The doctors told us they don't expect him to wake up any time soon either. Many of the doctors at the hospital were asking me stupid questions about Kane, like if he did any drugs… That only worsened the anger. Asaoka cried, Yoko cried. Last night was a nightmare, and completely unexpected. He was with me the last I saw him… He killed me… Could it have been Orca? No… Not Orca… Atleast I don't think… Out of nowhere this happens, and it's left me with nothing but questions. Sheesh, and like always Kane was right… He's only right when it's about something bad… I should have seen this coming… The school found out about Kane. In fact when I opened my locker I found a copy of the newspaper inside. Whoever found out, must have printed out copies, and stuffed the lockers before school started. Now it's the talk of the school, and on top of that; Kane's in a coma. There are so many rumors flying around it's starting to make me sick. The teachers are keeping a professional attitude, but I can tell some of them are taken aback by it… It happened so long ago, and it was hardly what anyone could consider bad, but now so many people are making a big deal about it… Man people really are stupid sometimes. Of course; like Kane had predicted, it's mostly the upperclassmen causing the fuss. The juniors; my classmates, are simply going along with it, hoping to be accepted. Well that's not exactly true… I can't condemn everyone. Asaoka of course isn't following this stupid crowd. And oddly enough __Aoi Tsukio__ got so annoyed with all the gossip; she punched some girl in the hallway. Most of the freshmen are just keeping quiet, not really following the crowd, but not exactly saying anything against them… Probably afraid to get bullied; how depressing… I have enough popularity to call out these idiots on their stupid gossip without becoming the target of some childish bullying. Who would have thought my reputation would actually prove useful? I wish Kane could see me now… _I laughed to myself.

_Asaoka much to my surprise went ahead with Kane's plan, and announced her… Well… His candidacy today. Of course this only caused more stupid rumors. She is acting normal, atleast on the outside, but I can't forget what I saw last night. If that weren't enough, I overheard some of my classmen talking about her out in the hallway… Man, it took every fiber in my being not to beat some sense into those idiots… But, unlike me; some people can't keep their cool. __Aoi Tsukio is on a warpath, no one is willing to even look at her. All this gossip has really gotten to her. She's either defending Kane, or is just sick of the way everyone is acting over something so stupid. It's common knowledge that she comes from a rich family, so she can probably buy her way out of any trouble that she may get her way into. She's become a fright; that's for sure. _

The bell rang, singling the start of the lunch period; I quickly stood from my seat, and stretched. "I thought it would never end…" I sighed with relief. Everyone around me began to gossip, which believe it or not, I was getting used to, even though it's only been happening for two hours now. Asaoka was the acting class representative, so she began to usher people out of the classroom. "She really needs to take it easy…" I sighed. "Will you people shut up!?" Aoi shouted from behind me. "Stop concerning yourselves with someone else's life, and live your own!" her shouts echoed through the class. Aoi has the kind of voice that commands attention; everyone found themselves subconsciously glaring at Aoi. "'You're starting to get really annoying" I heard a random student arrogantly sigh. Aoi's eyebrow's twitched and she marched towards the student, shoving random students that were unfortunate enough to stand in her way. "I'm the annoying one?" Aoi's eye twitched as she looked at the student. "Stupid boy!" Aoi shouted. She grabbed the student's collar and punched him across the face. The class erupted in shouting, as Aoi looked down on the fallen student. "Surprise, surprise! This is my favorite part; you should see the look on your face." Aoi declared. Many students were beginning to get angry, and some seemed like they were about to explode. "Well! Hey Aoi, how about we go eat lunch?" I grabbed Aoi by the shoulders, and moved her along towards the door. "What are you doing!? Let me go idiot!" Aoi demanded. "We're off for lunch; I'll talk to you later, try and calm them down will you?" I hastily spoke to Asaoka as I drug Aoi out of the classroom. "Alright…" Asaoka sighed as she looked at the rowdy class.

"You're annoying, you know that right?" Aoi crossed her arms and looked at me. "I just bought you lunch, the least you could do is thank me" I sighed as I took a seat down on a bunch located on the roof. _No one comes here, so no angry mobs should come looking for her up here…_ "Would it make you feel better if I did?" Aoi asked. "Well it would tell me that you appreciate what I did for you" I shrugged. "And what if I don't appreciate it?" Aoi said bluntly. "Well… You know… You seemed a lot nicer before all this happened…" I scratched my head awkwardly. "Humph! It's these idiots! All the sudden the entire student body is obsessing over what that idiot did long ago. It's annoying, and unlike you; I'm not going to sit around and listen to it" Aoi glared at me. "I'll agree that it's annoying, but I don't think you should go around attacking people for gossiping" I sighed. "You're advice is not welcomed" Aoi shook her head. "I'll do as I please" she grunted. "That could come with serious repercussions" I sighed at her stubbornness. "I am more than capable of beating the life out of any fool in this school. Let them come, I still refuse to put up with this stupidity" Aoi sighed. "Augh! It's giving me such a headache!" she slammed her fist into a nearby wall. "You're stubbornness is making my head hurt as well… Listen here, Aoi" I started. "Did I give you permission to use my first name?" Aoi asked arrogantly. "No, but it's not exactly a custom in my country, so I'm not really used to it…" I explained. "You live in Japan now; forget about your old customs! It's not like you had any real culture over there anyway!" Aoi stomped her foot. "Right, I'm sorry" I held my throbbing head. "Tsukio-sama…" I used a highly respectful honorific that I've never used with all my time speaking Japanese. Aoi smirked, obviously pleased with my formal way of addressing her. "I like that… You and the rest of this school will now address me like that from now on" Aoi laughed. "Right… Could you listen to me, for one moment?" I sighed. "What do you want?" Aoi sighed as she turned her attention to me. "If you go around, attacking random students you're gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble. You'll either be kicked out of school, or worse case scenario, the students that you've attacked will gang up on you" I explained. "And why would that concern you?" Aoi asked curiously. "It's bad… I don't like bad… There really isn't some underlying reason… I just don't want to see you kicked out or beat up" I shrugged. "Ha! What do you think you are some kind of hero?" Aoi laughed. "If not wanting to see someone hurt, or injured makes you a hero; then I suppose so" Aoi's attitude was working my last nerve. "You are worrying needlessly. No one in this school has the guts to actually strike me" Aoi sighed as she looked off into the distance. "Besides…" she began. "Smearing his reputation like this… It's disgusting. Humans truly are the ugliest creatures on this planet" Aoi spat. "And what about you?!" Aoi suddenly turned her attention towards me. "You're his friend right? Why aren't you stopping them?" Aoi demanded. "I can't stop them from speaking their minds, however wrong they may be. There is a little thing called free speech, kind of a big deal in my old country. Perhaps you've heard of it?" I mocked her. "At the risk of sounding like a cliché': I'm no fascist. People can say whatever they want, no matter how stupid, or wrong it may be. Trying to force people to think a certain way is pretty stupid; even more so if you try to use violence to achieve that" I explained. "All you're doing is making enemies of everyone in the class" I sighed. "Good, then atleast I know where they stand. I'm not here to make friends, I am here to learn, which is getting damn hard to do when all I can hear is people whispering while the teacher is teaching" Aoi retorted. "Look… Could you just try and tone it down? You don't need to be hitting people for gossiping, even if it is disturbing you" I sighed. "Humph! I'll "try" and restrain myself, but for their sake, I hope this stops soon" Aoi glared at me. "I'm not conceding to you, don't you dare get the wrong idea!" Aoi shouted. "Of course not!" I hastily shouted. "Good…" Aoi grumbled. "Thank you" for lunched" Aoi obviously hated thanking me, even though she didn't touch what I had bought her. "Don't mention it" I smiled politely. "Good, next time I won't" Aoi turned towards the door. "Don't pester me again; I'd hate to have to take my anger out on you" Aoi left an ominous warning as she left the roof-top. "What a pain!" I shouted as I fell backwards into the bench. "Just talking to her gives me such a headache" I sighed as I held my head. "Her heart is in the right place but… No hold on… Is her heart even in the right place?" I asked myself. "When Kane wakes up I'm gonna knock him hard over the head for making me put up with all of this…" I sighed helplessly. "You try to play the good guy, and what happens? Man; what a world we live in today" I yawned as I put my hands behind my head as support. "Everything has become so jaded, no one knows how to be good anymore" I yawned. "You'd better wake up soon, Kane…" I closed my eyes, and got comfortable. "Too much drama to deal with…" I mumbled.

…

I opened my eyes and studied the bright orange sky above me. "Sun set, huh?" I asked myself. "Wait… Sun set!?" I jolted up from the bench I had fallen asleep on. "Oh you gotta be kidding me…" I sighed. "What time is it?" I asked as I looked down at my watch. "Five thirty…" I sighed. "School's over… Man, Kane would really be angry if he knew I just slept the day away like that" I yawned and looked around me. "Good view though…" I sighed. "I should head home… But… I wonder how Asaoka is doing…" I said thoughtfully. _She's putting up with a lot of crap now… Kane in a coma, managing the tennis team, campaigning for Kane…_ "She should be at the tennis courts, I'll pay her a visit" I nodded, and left the roof.

"Hey, Asaoka!" I hailed her as I neared the tennis courts. She was writing stuff down on a clipboard as the tennis team held practice. "Hm? Oh, hello James" Asaoka acknowledged me as I entered the tennis courts. "You're still here? I didn't think you stayed so late…" Asaoka turned her gaze towards me. "Yeah well… I got distracted while on the roof, and well… Time flies, ya know?" I chuckled. "You didn't miss much in class, if that is the reason you are here" Asaoka explained. "What? No… I just came by to see how you're doing. The team looks real good" I looked at the practicing students. "The season will start soon, everyone is trying the best so they will be chosen as starters" Asaoka explained. "They're really going at it, lifts my spirits. It's been nothing but downers all day, this is a welcome sight, believe me" I sighed. "It has been a rough day" Asaoka nodded. "So, how did it go for you? I imagine it's been pretty rough, you hanging in there?" I asked. "I am fine. I was caught by surprise, but now that the shock has cleared, everything is fine" Asaoka admitted. "Yeah… Good thing you found him, who knows how bad it would have been if we just left him there… Still… I haven't the slightest idea what happened… Everything seemed fine while we were fighting, then the next thing I know… But I suppose that's how things work, huh? Things happen when you least expect them" I sighed. "He said Tsukasa was going to stop all of this, but… Well, what am I supposed to think now?" I asked. "It's different than what happened before… He woke up right away when Tsukasa attacked him before… But now… He's in a coma… Could it be something other than Tsukasa?" Asaoka asked. "Maybe… But what else could it be? Maybe Tsukasa just did something different this time" I shrugged. "It's possible… That night that Stance joined up with Kaochin, after we got back from the hospital… We were attacked by one of those monsters" Asaoka spoke up. "What? Why didn't Kane tell me? That seems kind of important" I sighed. "He didn't want to get you involved… He said the monster was different than the one Tsukasa had… This one was purple. It attacked Stance, but he shielded himself with his old comrade Silver Knight" Asaoka explained. "Ouch… Not good…" I shook my head. "He said he didn't want you to worry, so he never spoke of it" Asaoka admitted. "Sounds like something he'd do… Man… I don't know what's what anymore…" I sighed desperately. "It's true that Tsukasa's monster was yellow… I remember that clearly. He could have gotten a new one… Or god help us; there is another player like Tsukasa running around" I pondered. "I think I'll do some looking around when I get home" I said thoughtfully. "Kane wouldn't want you involved" Asaoka sighed. "Look at the result of me not getting involved… Someone has to find out what's going on, right? I want to know what put Kane in that coma. I'm through sitting on the sidelines, now is the time to act" I nodded objectively. "Don't put yourself in any unnecessary danger" Asaoka looked at me worriedly. "Ha! You just worry about holding the fort here in reality. Unlike me you have responsibilities here in the real world. Leave the investigating to me" I winked to Asaoka. "I'll try to help when I can… But my work load has doubled… With the season approaching, and the elections…" Asaoka sighed. "More work than I could handle, that's for sure…" I looked at the tennis players. "Say… You're the manager right? Are you any good?" I asked. "Good? At tennis? Ha… Not as good as these players. I'm just here for the clerical work" Asaoka shook her head. "You should practice with them, it'll be good for your body, and who knows… You might get good at it" I nodded to Asaoka. "But…" my attention was focused to one of the players in front of me. "That player… You need to tell her that if the ball hits the net, and happens to go into her side of the court it's still in play. She shouldn't just stop" I noticed one of the player's at fault. "Huh?" Asaoka turned her attention to the player at fault. "You're right… Ah! Excuse me for one moment" Asaoka dropped her clip-board and hurried over to the player.

"Didn't think you knew anything about tennis" I heard a female speak from the corner of my eye. "Hm?" I eyed the female who spoke to me. "It's…" I recalled the female's name. "Risa!Risa Hamaoka" her name suddenly came to me. "I must not have made a lasting impression…" Risa sighed at my response. "Hey now, I'm not very good with names. It's your face that I remember" I nodded. She wasn't exactly feminine… She her hair was short, and to be honest you could probably confuse her for a boy at a distance, but she had her charm. "But I'll remember now, Risa Hamaoka" I held up my hands and framed Risa's profile between a little portrait I made with my fingers. "Cute name, for a cute face" I winked to Risa. She blushed and looked down at her feet at my comment. "So, what brings you over here?" I put my hands in my pockets and asked. "Well… I wanted to speak with Asaoka-Senpai… But I noticed you two were talking… I didn't want to interrupt" Risa explained. "You didn't want to talk to me huh? Kind of disappointing, but hey; sorry for keeping Asaoka to myself, I just came to say hello to a friend, ya know?" I apologized. "It was no trouble!" Risa shot down my apology. "I was actually surprised you noticed that girls fault. I didn't notice it until you said something" Risa admitted. "Heh, that right? I'm no expert, but I played a little back in America" I smirked. "Were you any good?" Risa asked. "Yeah, were you?" another girl appeared next to Risa. "Oh? Hello there…" I glanced to the new female. This female's hair was brown, unlike Risa's and it was longer, giving her a distinct feminine appearance. I recognized her, but I didn't want to make Risa feel bad, so I pretended to have trouble recognizing the female. "Akira… Yeah, that's it. Akira Hayami, right?" I asked the female. "Yeah, that's me. You're James, an upperclassmen right?" Akira asked. "Yep, that's right" I nodded. "So, continue your story… Were you any good?" Akira asked. "Good… Yeah, I was good. I wasn't great by any accounts, just average" I shrugged. "No coach wants an average player, so my time on the tennis team didn't exactly work out" I chuckled. "But that's how everything was. Golf, track, foot-ball, American foot-ball, volley ball, baseball, skate-boarding, bowling, sheesh… I could go on forever. I could play them all, and I wasn't bad by any means, just not great" I sighed. "Ha… I remember when Kane and I first started hanging out, he got me into a Kendo dojo, and he spent the day beating me up with a wooden sword… I think that was the first time I had ever had trouble with sports. But then again what do you expect? I knew by looking at Kane that it was going to be a rough day" I chuckled. "Takeshi-Sama?" Akira asked. "Hey, you hear about those rumors?" Risa turned to me. "Hasn't everyone?" I sighed. "Their just rumors, you shouldn't concern yourself with them, Risa" Akira shrugged. "Someone comes into my house, tries to attack my brother, then I'll take em down like Takeshi-Sama did" Akira grinned, and flexed her muscles. "No one messes with my family" She nodded. "Just rumors…" Risa muttered to herself. "Yeah, I suppose you're right" she smiled and returned to her normal self. "But… He's in the hospital again, huh?" Akira turned to me and asked. "You live near him right? Probably woke you up when the ambulance came… Yeah, he's back in the hospital" I sighed. "Again… What's wrong with him?" Akira asked. "Food poisoning. Atleast that's what they told me" I blatantly lied. "Food poisoning? But he's in critical condition isn't he?" Akira raised her eyebrow at my response. "It's complicated… A lot of medical terms you know? But they said he had some kind of seizure, probably due to some chemical in the food he was eating" I shrugged. "The seizure wouldn't stop they said, so to stop his brain from shutting down or whatever they had to load him up with drugs, and purposely induce a coma" I began to research what could cause someone to fall unconscious when Kane was first knocked out by Tsukasa. One condition called: Status epilepticus that consisted of a never ending seizure stuck with me, and thankfully served its purpose as the foundation for a rather good lie. "Man… So why don't they just wake him up already?" Akira looked at me with a puzzled expression. "That's the down side to doing things like that. He'll wake up on his own" I lied again. "Man… That sucks…" Akira sighed. "Yeah… Poor guy" Risa nodded in agreement. _For a moment I didn't think they'd believe me. Phew…_ "Well hey, he isn't getting any worse, and his condition will only improve, so no need to be all down in the dumps" I wanted to rid the area of the foul mood. "Yeah, you're right" Akira nodded. "Speaking of... Risa we need to get back to practice" Akira turned to Risa. "But I'm tired… My arm hurts so much…" Risa complained. "Don't you want to make first string? You need to try harder" Akira sighed. "Just let me rest…" Risa sighed as she fell to the ground. "What's wrong?" Asaoka returned and looked down at the overacting Risa. "She says she needs a break" Akira rolled her eyes. "If she needs a break, then she should rest…" Asaoka fell for Risa's lies. "Then who am I supposed to practice with? Our team can't afford machines, so I need someone to return my shoots" Akira became agitated. "How bout me?" I volunteered. "You?" Asaoka and Akira both looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. "I was gonna stop by the hospital on my way home, but I don't think Kane is going anywhere. Besides, I already told you I'm not bad. I may not be as good as Risa over there, but I could give you a run for your money I'm sure" I narrowed my eyes, and shot Akira a cocky glare. "Alright Mister cocky" Akira trotted over to her gym bag and pulled out another racket. "You do remember how to use it, right?" Akira asked as she tossed the racket over to me. "Like ridding a bike" I took a few practice swings, and smirked.

"You need a refresher on the rules?" Akira asked me before she served the ball. "Just the basics, standard singles. Nothing really to explain" I shook my head, and prepared myself. "Alright then… Here we go!" Akira launched the ball into the air and slammed her racquet into it. The ball was fast, but I managed to intercept it and return her serve. Akira must not have been expecting me to return it, as she stood there and let the ball pass right by her. "Giving up?" I cocked my head sideways and looked at Akira. "No… I just didn't think you'd actually return it…" Akira admitted. "An attitude like that is gonna cost you the game. I may not look it, but if you underestimate me, then I'll end up winning… Especially if you just stand around and let me score" I sighed. "I don't need any lectures…" Akira sighed and retrieved the ball. "Wanna give that another go?" I smirked and prepared to return Akira's serve. Akira threw the ball into the air once more, and smashed her racquet into it. The bull hurled across the net, and I ran to the left to intercept it. I knocked it back over the net, and Akira easily intercepted it. She back handed it back over the net, this time the ball radically changed direction, and I had to change after it. I barely managed to return her serve, nearly falling over trying to stop myself from running into the ball. I couldn't really control where I hit it, but thankfully it went over the net and remained in play. Akira returned the ball straight down the middle, I ran towards the center of the court, and smashed the ball back over the net. Akira ran forwards a bit, and returned the ball faster than I had expected. I swung, but missed the ball as it flew past me. "Phew… Hey that was pretty good" I chased after the ball. "I may not look it, but I've got quite the arm" Akira pumped her fist. "Big arms for a big ego" I laughed. "What did you say?!" Akira shouted from across the court. "Nothing princess! Here it comes! Keep your eye on it!" I threw the ball into the air and served it. Akira smashed the ball with her racquet. The ball flew forward past my swing and slammed into my chest. "Opps" Akira looked away and shrugged. "Kind of stings" I rubbed the spot that the ball hit. "So, you're playing hard ball huh?" I asked as I picked up the ball. "Alright, fine by me!" I threw the ball into the air and served it across the net. Akira easily returned my serve with an elegant movement. I hurriedly ran to the right and smacked the ball back across the net. Akira countered with a move of her own and sent the ball flying in the opposite direction. I ran towards the ball and leapt forward hitting it midair and sending it right back across the net. Akira quickly returned the ball down the middle of the court as I tried to pick myself up. "Some fancy flying you did there" Akira taunted. "Yeah… Felt fancy…" I straightened out my back. "One more time" I gestured for Akira to serve the ball. She complied and served the ball across the net. I smacked it back towards her and she easily sent it back my way. She had me beat in stamina hands down as I was starting to become winded and she wasn't so much as breathing heavy. We continued hitting the ball back and forth until finally I goofed and missed as the ball flew past me. "Phew… Alright, you got me" I admitted defeat. "Ha! I'll be a starter just you wait!" Akira cheered. "I'd keep an eye on her… Man she really does have quite the arm" I shook the numbness out of my hand and walked back over to Asaoka. "Hey you did alright" Akira stated as she followed me to Asaoka. "I've always done "Alright" I sighed. "I've seen worse, trust me" Akira slapped me across the back. "Heh… So you plan on going pro? Seem like you'd really be good at it" I asked. "I don't know… I'd like to…" Akira admitted. "Center at Wimbledon, right?" Asaoka asked. "Yeah… But that's just a child fantasy… It will probably never happen" Akira sighed. "With an attitude like that it won't" I shook my head. "If you really want something you gotta fight for it. Attack it while it's down and don't give it a chance to get up" I explained. "If you want it bad enough, you will find away" I nodded and roughed up Akira's hair. "Sheesh you sound like my dad" Akira pushed my hand away. "Ha, you should listen to your parents" I smirked. "Well ladies, I think it's time I go pay our sleeping beauty a visit" I stretched. "Please give Takeshi-sama my respects" Akira nodded. "Yeah, mine too!" Risa added. "I may not be able to visit him tonight…" Asaoka sighed. "Hey don't worry, it's not like he's going anywhere" I laughed. "I'll let him know you all said hey, see you guys around" I placed my hands in my pockets and strolled out of the tennis courts.

"Man it's like I'm becoming a regular here" I sighed as I walked through the hospital. "Hey! You're James-san right?" A small blonde haired female ran up to me and asked. "Huh? Oh! If it isn't Yoko" I knelt forward placing myself at eye level with Kane's little sister. "Yep! That's me!" Yoko cheered. You sure seem lively considering the time… What'cha been up to?" I asked curiously. "I've been helping people around the hospital! And taking care of Oniichan!" Yoko must have been excited being able to help out. "Yeah? That sounds like hard work" I smiled at Yoko. "Are you here to see Oniichan?" she asked. "Yep, I came by to see how he's getting along. Everything going alright with him?" I asked. "No…" Yoko sighed sadly. "Neesan said his condition worsened over night. They moved him to a different room and they are very picky about visitors" Yoko sighed. "That doesn't sound good at all" I shook my head. "His lungs stopped working too… So they had to hook him up to a machine like before" Yoko explained. "So a machine is breathing for him…" I sighed. "You want to go see him?" Yoko asked. "Well…" I began to reconsider when I thought of how bad Kane looked. "Wait, what am I thinking? I'm his friend! Of course I want to see him!" I nodded to Yoko. "Alright, another one of his friends came to visit too. So you'll have to wait for her to finish her visit" Yoko explained as she reached up and grabbed my hand. "Another friend? Uhh… Yeah, that's fine" I nodded and let Yoko lead the way. We neared the hospitals ICU; the nurse near the door noticed me approaching and gestured for me to stop but Yoko shot her an evil glare and she turned away. "They stop people from visiting Oniichan! It's so unfair" Yoko grunted as she entered the ICU. "Yeah, no doubt" I followed her in.

"Huh? Well look who it is" a female glared at me from the doorway to Kane's room. "Huh? That you Aoi? What are you doing here?" I asked curiously. "I came to see just how the big celebrity is doing" Aoi cocked her head towards the room behind her. "He looks bad…" Aoi tensed up and looked away. "That serious?" I didn't expect Aoi to act the way she did. "I wouldn't call it living" she shook her head. "I'm sure it's not that bad. He'll be fine" I pointed towards Yoko who was standing in front of me. "Oh..." Aoi glared at the small girl. "As bad as it looks… They say his condition will only improve" Aoi crossed her arms and looked away. "Yep! That's how it works, he'll be better in no time" I nodded to Aoi. "I never met you before… But any friend of Oniichan is a friend of mine!" Yoko happily extended her hand to Aoi. "I am not his friend" Aoi grunted. "I simply wanted to see what condition my classmate was in" Aoi retorted. "That all? Seems kind of… Out of character" I scratched my chin. "A class president must show concern for her classmates" Aoi stated. "Yeah, that's… Hold on… Class president?" I asked curiously. "That's right" Aoi smirked. "I'll officially announce my candidacy tomorrow" she declared. "Uh… So, you too huh?" I asked awkwardly. "I hope I can count on your vote" Aoi smirked as she walked past me. "Yeah, me too" I sighed as she marched out of the ICU. "Is there anyone who isn't taking part in this election?" I sighed. ""Well that explains the limo outside. Figures it would be Aoi. Nice enough of her to visit Kane though…" I sighed. "Well, let's go in, shall we?" I opened the door and entered with Yoko.

The room was rather loud considering it was holding a coma patient; various machines monitoring Kane's vitals constantly beeped and hummed. Kane himself was sitting in a standard hospital bed, his body looked real pale and a small mask was placed around his mouth obviously forcing his body to breathe. "Sheesh…" I gasped as I studied Kane. "Something's not right…" something bothered me about Kane. A mountain of old books covered his legs and a large tray of food was sitting in his lap. "Ah… What's with all that?" I pointed to the mess that was literally all over Kane. "Research" Natsuko's head emerged from behind a nearby curtain. "Oh and you should knock next time. The last thing I'd want you to see is me cleaning him" Natsuko shook her head and sat down in a small chair next to Kane. "Hey, Yoko could you do me a favor real quick?" Natsuko looked over to Yoko. "Yeah? Yeah? What is it?" Yoko excitedly asked. "Could you go find me some aspirin? We're in a hospital you should have to look far" Natsuko rubbed her head. "Starring at this screen all day and reading is killing my eyes" she sighed and pointed to a laptop in front of her. "Yeah! Leave it to me" Yoko darted out of the room.

"So…" I placed my hands in my pocket and looked over at Kane. "You… Using him as a table, huh?" I asked awkwardly. "I don't think he'll mind. And his body takes up so much room already, I really don't have anywhere else to put things" Natsuko reached over to her plate of food and picked up a carrot. "It's not that big… Yeah he's tall… But he's hardly taking up any room" I chuckled. "Non-sense" Natsuko shook her head. "There are his lungs" Natsuko pointed towards the Ventilator breathing for Kane. "If things get any worse we've got his new heart right over there" she pointed over to a large machine near the wall. "That machine there is his bladder and colon respectively, and that machine there acts as his mouth" Natsuko named off the functions of every machine. "Like some stupid science fiction story: He's more machine than man now" Natsuko chuckled. "And he takes up a lot of room, so I think he can bite the bullet one time and allow me to use his lap and chest as a table" Natsuko sighed as she opened a laptop. "Idiot can't even wipe his own ass" Natsuko laughed. "Heh… So how's he holding up?" I asked nervously. "Normally people in intensive care don't "hold up" They're hanging on by a thread. Kane here is no exception, infact I wouldn't even say he's alive right now" Natsuko spoke. "But it's just a coma right? He'll wake up eventually" I asked. "Of course" Natsuko nodded. "It could be tomorrow even… Or maybe thirty years down the road; although I can tell you right now he won't last that long" Natsuko spoke coldly. "His eyes will probably open when the machine is shut down. But that's just his brain slowly shutting down. Not what I would call awake, but…" Natsuko explained. "That's not funny" her attitude was really annoying me. "There are doctors here, you can't tell me there is nothing they can do" I shook my head. "His blood work tested negative for all pretty much every known drug out there; as you said" Natsuko nodded. "What's more he doesn't have a history of epilepsy, or any known neurological disease. That just leaves head trauma, and he doesn't look like he sustained any blows to the head, of course that's just superficial, but you found him in his house and I doubt he could have injured himself that badly in his own home…" Natsuko explained. "His home… That's where he was last time…This isn't the first time and on both incidents he was inside his house…" Natsuko nodded. "Damnit all, why couldn't it have been drugs, it would be so easy… Just what happened to you?" Natsuko was really frustrated. "And you…" she glared at me. "You and that girl are hiding something" Natsuko's senses did not fail her. "This isn't some kind of game. His life is in serious danger… If I were you I would fess up before the situation gets worse" Natsuko warned me.

_It may not be a game… But a game certainly is the cause of all of this…_

"Yeah, well it's like I said before. We just found him. I wouldn't endanger my best friend's life like that" I shrugged. _No more playing around, I am going to find just what's going on._ "Still don't want to tell me? Well there isn't much I can do" Natsuko shook her head. "I've been researching conditions and diseases that can result in a coma and Kane is as healthy as a horse. Unless he has some new kind of disease and if that is the case he will die…" Natsuko was as cold as ever. "But I highly doubt it is a "new" disease, such a thing rarely happens." she simply shrugged. "This is just a new cluster of symptoms no one has ever seen before… Ha! That's all diseases are" Natsuko giggled. "We could look into sending him overseas… But they'd probably just claim it as clinical obesity and ship him back over here" Natsuko joked. "You're bedside manner could really use some work" I sighed. "That doesn't mean much coming from someone who is just going to let their friend live out the rest of their life in a coma" Natsuko retorted. "Look! You can sit here and make accusations all you want but that doesn't change the fact I don't know what happened. If I did I would speak up not because he's my friend but because it's the right thing to do" I shot back. "I really hope you don't act this way when Asaoka visits him… Sheesh and what about his sister?" I asked. "You just don't get it" Natsuko stood from her chair and walked over to the entrance and locked the door. I crossed my arms as she turned to me. "Now that Kane's in this situation, one that could lead to his death… The doctors here are beginning to think taking his heart wouldn't be such a bad idea" Natsuko explained. "What?" I gasped. "Yes, the situation is worse than you thought. I'm not going to sit here and tell you they won't do anything to help him…" Natsuko shook her head. "But if he does not recover I can almost guarantee they'll take action" Natsuko looked down at the floor. "And with his parents…" I came to realize what Natsuko had probably known from the start. "There is no way of knowing if they'll allow it. Infact they probably have no idea of their own son's situation. No one can get a hold of them. They can't technically act on their own until he's eighteen… Or our great government steps in and pulls the plug themselves. I don't think you need to worry about the government, but they may jump the gun and assume seventeen years old is good enough" Natsuko explained. "Of course right now this is the furthest thing from their minds, and with any luck my blackmail will keep it that way" Natsuko said something rather outrageous. "Uhh… Blackmail?" I cocked my head to the side and asked. "The world is an ugly place and stop giving me that hateful look" Natsuko crossed her arms. "I did it for him anyway. Of course he has to go and be an asshole…" Natsuko seemed really stressed. "Look. If you decide you want to talk, which I highly recommend you do" Natsuko reached into her pocket. "Call this number, and don't worry I'm no mandatory reporter or any of that garbage. I just want the truth" Natsuko spoke seriously. "Yeah… If I find out anything, I'll be sure to call you" I took the card and averted my gaze. "Neesan! I found some aspirin!" Yoko burst into the room with a cheerful smile. Her cheerful expression was enough to tear me apart, I wanted out of the room and fast. "You be sure to take good care of your big bro now" I walked over to Yoko and roughed up her hair a little. "Of course! The best care available!" Yoko saluted. "That's a good girl" I smiled down at Yoko. "I'll be waiting" Natsuko returned to her chair and opened her laptop back up. "Yeah… I know" I nodded and quickly left the room.

I couldn't stand to look at any of the doctors as I left the hospital. After what Natsuko said they all appeared two faced to me; welcoming him with open arms to visit his sister, but willing to carve out his own heart while he was asleep. _And what am I supposed to tell her? Kane fell into a coma while playing The World? What's more it's because he was killed by a player with a hacked monster? That solves nothing, except put me in some asylum on the edge of town… Telling us he'd handle it on his own… Kane you can be such an idiot at times…_ "Well… Being all depressed won't solve anything. He'll wake up on his own" I nodded. "And in the meantime I'll find out what's really going on. Whoever or whatever is causing this is gonna have to pay. No more sitting on the sidelines; it's time I get into the game!" I placed my hands in my pockets and left the hospital with a confidant smirk.

…

"Phew! Nothing quite perks me up like good old Mac Anu" I stretched as Dash my character entered The World. "Man, I really needed this" I placed my halberd across my shoulders and rested my hands atop it. "Hey there folk's how's it going?" I politely smiled and spoke to a passing group of players. "Just fine, thank you" one of them replied as the walked towards the chaos gate. "Looks like everyone is having fun" I smirked. "Hey Joker, you're late Joker!" Spade appeared beside me and elbowed me. "Been waiting for ya! Sure took your sweet time" Spade sighed. "Waiting? Spade… You know you shouldn't do that. Especially at this hour" I shook my head. "I mean it's cool and all, but with the time zones… The sun should just be coming up on your side. You can't let your real life suffer just to play with me" I explained. "Hey, I'm home schooled, remember? Not only that I just got off work" Spade laughed. "You're schedule seems really messed up" I shook my head. "And club is a complete brainiac, not like she even needs to go to school. Diamond's school starts up later than most and Heart is… Well she's Heart" Spade laughed. "I guess… But seriously, I really enjoy playing with you guys again but don't let it interfere with anything" I said seriously. "Yeah, yeah. Stop your preaching old man" Spade yawned. "Hey I'm still the leader of this guild, you just remember that… Speaking of, I need to talk to all of you" I explained. "Alright!" Spade nodded. "Royal Flush! Assemble!" Spade's shouts echoed Mac Anu and her English drew a few curious stares. "Club…" Club cart wheeled out of a nearby alley and landed next to Spade. "Diamond!" Diamond jumped up from under the bridge and on the opposite side of spade. "And… Heart!" the youngest of the group emerged from a large crowd of players and jumped over Spade landing in front of her. "Ha! You guys remembered the entrance? Been awhile since I've seen it to" I laughed. "What are you looking at?" Diamond barked at some starring players. "Do not be mean to the general populace Diamond… We are guests here" Club shook her head at Diamond's actions. "It's been so long, it was really fun!" Heart held her pose but spoke happily. "Well? You do remember your part, right?" Spade asked. "Sure do" I nodded. "Joker!" I ran forward and vaulted myself in the air with my halberd and landed behind Spade. "And we're…" I started. "Royal Flush!" we lifted out pole arms and slapped them together in unison. "By now a lot of players were crowded around us and all of them were giving us questionable looks. "Man… That was more embarrassing then I remember… Hard to believe that was an every day thing with me" I chuckled. "Oh…" I glared around at the crowd around us. "Show's over folks! We normally charge admission, but this one's on the house!" I spoke Japanese so they could understand me. "Anyway…" I began once the crowd dispersed. "How's everyone doing?" I asked. "Great… But how are you?" Spade asked. "Me? A little stressed but fine I suppose" I shrugged. "You don't know do you?" Spade asked. "Know what?" I looked at the whispering group in front of me. "You've got a bounty on your head" Spade sighed. "A bounty? What… Again?" I sighed. "You don't seem to surprise" Spade sighed. "He's just an idiot" Diamond shook her head. "Hey! Don't be mean! It's probably some mean players who just want to cause trouble" Heart spoke in my defense. "Heh, if they're just going to come after me for a bit of GP we would end up fighting eventually" I shrugged. "Probably just a bunch of PKers sick of me getting in their way, let them come after me. It's better if I draw their attention, that way some new player won't have to worry about getting killed on their first adventure" I smirked. "There you go again… Making yourself look like the good guy" Spade sighed. "Heh, I'm just doing what I've always done. It sucks getting killed on your first day, no one wants that to happen to them, so if I can prevent it from happening to just one player, then hey I suppose I've done my part" I shrugged. "He never changes" Club stated. "Never will" I placed my Halberd behind my neck and rested my arms atop it. "But hey, putting aside bounties and what not, I've got some pretty depressing news" I spoke seriously. "A serious expression like that is hardly fitting for you" Spade giggled and pointed towards my face. "Heh, I agree… But listen…" I began. "Stance is in a coma… We found him passed out in front of his computer again… But it doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon" I explained. "You idiot! Why didn't you tell us that sooner! That's kind of important!" Spade shouted. "Maybe he doesn't care about him" Diamond glared at me. "It does appear that way…" Club sighed. "What? Slow down… I just didn't think you'd give it much thought" I defended myself. "Idiot! Of course we care! He's our friend!" Spade shook her head. "Well… I didn't know you cared so strongly about him…" I smirked. "My bad" I apologized. "You said coma… He has not awoken yet?" Club asked. "No… He's still in the hospital now, it's pretty horrifying to see actually" I sighed. "Was it Tsukasa?" I could hear Diamond's teeth grinding together. "Well… Maybe… I don't really know…" I sighed. "Stance was pretty confident that he wasn't to blame for what happened… He said something about him being "stuck" inside the game, and he can't be blamed for his actions" I explained. "…Stuck?" Spade, Club, Diamond, and Heart all gave me looks that clearly told me what they thought. "Well… He said that Tsukasa was stuck inside the game, and couldn't log out" I told them the truth. "That's stupid" Diamond blurted out. "Yeah, well I thought the same thing myself, then Stance asked me to imagine myself in that situation, imagine being stuck inside this world with no way of getting out… Even I can admit it'd be a pretty scary experience, and to top it all off people where always after Tsukasa…" I sighed. "Are you defending him?" Diamond grunted. "No! Not at all… I just don't think it's a good idea to run up to Tsukasa weapons in hand, trying to pick a fight with him" I shook my head. "We've made that mistake before, have we not?" I asked. "…But we woke up after a few hours… Why is Stance in a full blown coma?" Spade asked. "No idea… And to be honest our only lead is Tsukasa, and we can't chase that line too far because we don't know where he is, and we do not want him to use that monster against us, especially if he had nothing to do with what happened to Stance… That would be a meaningless death for us all" I sighed. "If I'm going to end up in a coma, I'd at least like to know I was on the right track" I explained. "I guess… I'd rather avoid the whole coma thing myself" Spade sighed. "Well… How can we help?" Spade sighed. "Help? You guys sure? I mean, there are risks…" I really didn't feel comfortable involving them, especially after what happened to Stance. "What are you an idiot?" Spade taped her finger at my forehead. "We're a team, got it? We're going to find out what's going on, and put an end to it" Spade crossed her arms. "Heh… Yeah, thanks you guys" I nodded. "Alright… Information! Club! We need to find out about Tsukasa, and his recent whereabouts!" Spade commanded. "Understood. I will begin questioning the players around town" Club bowed and left the group. "Diamond! Go find some PKers! Make them tell you everything they know about Tsukasa!" Spade commanded. "I'll force it out of them…" Diamond sneered and leapt across the river landing near the weapon shop. "Heart! Uh…" Spade suddenly started to stammer. "Uh…" she continued. "She should go help Club out" I commanded. "Yeah! Do that!" Spade shouted. "Alrighty!" Heart nodded. "Oh! Before I forget…" Heart stopped as she passed me. "I… Got a message for you from… Stance… Um… I met with him after our battle in **Δ**** Bursting Passed-Over Aqua-Field**" Heart spoke. "Oh? You must have met him before he was put into that coma... What did he say?" I asked. "I guess… He was acting a little weird, but all he asked me to tell you was… These area keywords: **Δ Lonely Imprisoned Fallen-Angel**" Heart gave me the keywords to an area. "Yeah…? Thanks I guess" I nodded. "There you go! You should head over there" Spade exclaimed. "Huh? What for?" I asked. "That could have been where Stance went last before all of this happened. You should go check it out, maybe Tsukasa is there" Spade explained. "Yeah… I guess it couldn't hurt… But I do have a bounty on my head… But… Heh, whatever. Bring em' on; I'll make it an adventure!" I declared. "Alright then, it's settled. We'll gather information in the root towns while you investigate that area" Spade happily declared. "Oh! And if you run into anything you better come running back to get us! I won't forgive you if you do something stupid and end up like Stance" Spade grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry" I smiled and pushed myself away from Spade. "Stance is going to owe us when he wakes up, for now let's just concentrate on finding out the truth, don't make any moves without me, alright?" I asked. "No problem" Spade placed a hand on her hip, and sighed. "Alright, see you soon!" I leapt backwards and landed on the bridge above me. "The area is **Δ Lonely Imprisoned Fallen-Angel**, Let's go!" I ran towards the Chaos Gate.

"Sheesh, how depressing…" I warped into the area and was greeted with a hazy and damp environment. It was extremely dark, and to top it all off, it was raining heavily, making it pretty difficult to see. "But what was I expecting with an area name like "Lonely Imprisoned Fallen-Angel" I sighed. "Don't see why Stance would want to come here…" I leaned on my halberd. "Oh… Looks like the welcoming party" I noticed two enemies running through the rain straight towards me. "Alright, let's get this party started" I fan forward, and gripped my halberd with my right hand. "An Arrow Fish… And... Oh wow… An Onimusha!" I studied the enemies as I neared. "Let's get rid of the small fry first!" I reached out with my left hand and grabbed onto the fin of the floating Arrow Fish. The moment he was in my grasp I shoved my halberd into the muddy ground and vaulted myself high into the air. "Here we go!" I threw the hapless fish forward, and prepared to use a skill. "Vak Repulse!" My halberd burst into flames, and I began to use my right hand to spin it around my body. The blade tore into the Arrow Fish with each swing, eventually the fish burnt into ashes and scattered into the rain. "That's that…" I dropped from the sky and landed in front of the Onimusha. It resembled a player, a Heavy Blade to be exact; in fact it could easily be confused with a player if it weren't for its insidious appearance underneath its large straw hat. "Alright, pal… Give me a run for my money will you?" I ran towards the monster. It swung its large katana sideways, forcing me to block it with my halberd. "Pretty strong" I smirked. "Alright then…" I squatted down and leapt into the air allowing his Katana to pass under me. "You're open!" I landed in front of the creature, and began my assault. I swung my halberd sideways, and left a deep gash in its chest, but it countered, and knocked me away using the blunt side of its blade. "Close call…" I grunted. "You know for a small fry you put up a good fight" I complemented the monster. "Alright… Let's get this over with" I ran forward and forced my halberd through his defenses and through his stomach. "Sorry about this!" I lifted the monstrous samurai into the air, and tossed him off my halberd sending him falling behind me. "Really hate going to low level areas…" I sighed.

"Well… It's pretty hard to see with this lightning, guess I'll head for the dungeon… No use looking for what I can't see" I sighed, and rubbed my rain drenched hair. "Hm?" The sound of metal rubbing together made me turn around. "Not done yet? For a low level monster you're pretty persistent" I smirked and readied my halberd. "Dash?" the shadow suddenly spoke. "What!? Since when could monsters… Oh… I get it" I shook my head. "I knew something was odd… Darker armor and clothing than that Onimusha… You're a player" I nodded. "So, what do you need?" I asked politely.

"My body… How is my body…?"

"Eh?" I glared at the dark figure hidden behind the darkness of the night. "Don't think I know what you're talking about" I shrugged. "Do you need directions? Or a partner? I was just about to head down into the dungeon" I explained. "I am not in the mood for games! Do you not recognize me?" The dark figure began to march over to me. "Can't say I… Oh my God…" I gasped as the player neared. "My body… Dash, I need to know… I have to know… How is my body" the player character Stance stood before me. "What… Hey is this some kind of joke? Is that you Asaoka?" I crossed my arms and chuckled. "This is no joke… I've been looking for you Dash, and now that I've found you I want answers. Do not turn me away, you are my friend" the character spoke firmly. "Look if this is a joke it's not funny at all. Taking control of someone's character like that is pretty low, especially after what I've been through… I don't' even want to think about what Asaoka would say if she saw you" I spat. "Would she believe me? You are my friend, and you are turning me away like this? Do you not understand? Dash… This is… This is my body, do you understand? Like Tsukasa, I am stuck in The World as well. And… I desperately need your help" the imposter spoke. "Shut up! What kind of sick man are you? Do you really find this enjoyable?" I shouted. "My memories have been shattered… But I remember that you are my friend, and that I can always trust you… I do not know how long I have been in this state, but you have to help me… At least tell me how my body is doing… I… I am not dead, am I?" the imposter asked worriedly. "Look buddy, I'm not going to sit here and let you continue this little act, alright? You best leave before I get a system administrator over here and turn you in for breaking into someone else's account. "Dash, I am stuck in this game! I need your help! Please do not turn me away!" the imposter shouted. "Shut up! You are not Stance… You are not Kane!" I screamed. "I told you to come here! You're friend Heart; I remember them, your guild! You are James, my friend in reality! You have to believe me" The imposter begged. "Shut your mouth!" I gripped my halberd and ran forward. "I do not want to fight you!" the imposter drew his sword and took a defensive stance. "You should have thought about that before you screwed with my friends account!" I shouted as I slammed my halberd into the ground and began to vault into the air. "I remember all of your attacks!" the imposter grabbed my halberd, and lifted it into the air. "What the!?" I cried out as I tightened my grip on my halberd. "You must forgive me!" the imposter slammed my halberd down onto the ground causing my body to fall with it. I hit the ground with an extremely dull thud that easily knocked the wind from my body.

"…"

"That… Sound… What… Is…" I held my aching head through my HMD. "James… Only I would know you that well… You normally start each battle with a vault attack…" the imposter stood above me and explained. "Just… A coincidence…" I grunted as I fought to regain my breath. "Dash… Tsukasa and I are alike, we both are stuck in this world, please do not continue to attack me… Unlike you I face true death in this world" the imposter's expression was hidden by Stance's dark and insidious helmet. "Should have thought about that beforehand!" I jumped up, and grabbed my halberd. "I do not want to fight, why you won't believe me" the imposter grunted. "It's an impossible story, and not only that; I know you can't be Kane… He is able to…" I stammered. "You are not Kane!" I shouted. _If he thinks he knows all my moves then…_ The player character Stance took a defensive position; I on the other hand slammed my halberd into the ground once more. "Another vault?" I heard him ask. As before he reached forward and grabbed my halberd but I knew he would do that, so I threw all of my weight forward and landed behind him. "Darn you!" I shouted as I threw my halberd over my head, sending the imposter soaring through the air into a nearby tree. "Didn't predict that, did you?" I whipped the mud off my clothing and marched over to the fallen imposter. "This is what happens when you go too far with your jokes" I shook my head as I looked down on the imposter. His gasp for air echoed through his helmet, and he moaned occasionally as he tried to stand. "I don't do this very often… But I'm warning you… If you don't log out right now, I'm going to kill you" I spoke seriously. "It hurts… I can't… Breath…" the imposter gasped. "You won't get any sympathy from me… Get going, now" I demanded. "You… Are stubborn… I remember that much about you… My life is at stake, and you believe this to still be… A game…" he sighed. "I… I'm sorry Dash…" He climbed to his feet and apologized. "Good, now get out of my sight" I gestured for him to leave.

"…"

_That noise again?_

A sudden jolt of pain shot through my face, my body reacted violently, and I buckled in reality, falling from my chair and into the floor. "What…?" I gasped as I tried to pull myself up in reality. "James… Look at me…" The imposter stood above me, looking down at me. "Do you see?" a bolt of lightning illuminated the area, and behind him I could make out a large barbell shaped monster. "That is…" I held my aching face. "The same as Tsukasa…" Stance sighed. "James… Please… I have no one else to go to… You have to believe me… This… Guardian behind me should be all the proof you need. I am trapped, and cannot get out…" Stance kneeled down to my face and explained. "Then… It's… True?" I sighed as I drug myself up in reality. "Yes… Would you allow me to explain my situation to you" Stance asked. "Heh… You know… Now that I think about it… It really is you… Ha-ha… Yeah… It has to be… Only you would do something as crazy as that… Hitting me like that… You could have broken something…" I forced my character to stand, and Stance took a few steps backwards. "So… It really is you…?" I studied Stance. "…In the flesh…" he sighed deeply. "I gotta make sure…" I shook my head. "You still do not believe me?" Stance asked worriedly. "Not yet… Stance and I got a real bond, he's my partner… If you're really him there is really only one way to tell" I said thoughtfully. "You want to fight…?" Stance sighed. "No, fighting you wouldn't prove a thing… There is one thing that Stance and I have… One thing that makes us better than everyone else" I nodded. "Our teamwork" I nodded. "I won't accept you as Stance until you prove to me that you are truly him." I glared at the large purple guardian behind him. "I see… Honestly… I had a feeling it would come to this…" Stance sighed. "Very well… The dungeon" Stance nodded. "There is an ambush waiting for you there. How many players I do not know, all I know is they have gathered to defeat you" Stance explained. "Say what?" I sighed. "I was desperate to find you, so… I put a price out for your whereabouts…" Stance admitted. "A bounty?" I sighed. "I believe that is how it was interrupted… But I gathered those that pursued you, and they await you in the dungeon" Stance explained. "I knew heart would deliver the message that is why I've been waiting here for… What feels like days… Honestly my sense of time is completely warped… What feels like days are mere hours in reality…" Stance sighed. "Well if they're after me I shouldn't keep them waiting" I smirked. "You'll be coming along to… That is if you want me to believe you" I glared at Stance. "Facing them would mean risking death… I will warn you that if faced with such circumstances I will not hesitate to use the guardian… They will be injured in reality" Stance's expression was hidden by his helmet. "If you are who you say you are; then WE shouldn't have anything to worry about" I smirked. "There is no other way… Diplomatically that is… I am counting on you, my friend" Stance's guardian disappeared, and he sheathed his sword. "Alright then, if you're ready we'll get going… Oh… And… If things get bad, just get out of there" I wasn't sure if I could believe what Stance was saying, or if this even was Stance… But if he really is facing death, then I have a responsibility to help him. "It looks as though you are starting to believe me" Stance's obvious smile was hidden by his helmet. "We'll find out soon enough, I smirked and began marching towards the dungeon.

"Huh? One of you the player called Dash?" there were two players standing at the entrance of the dungeon. "I am the one who issued the bounty, I am canceling the contract, please leave at once" Stance stepped forward and spoke firmly. "Canceling? After wasting all of my time sitting here you'd better pay!" one of the blademasters shouted. "I have located the player myself, you're services are no longer required" Stance reached for his sword. "So, that's him huh?" the other blademaster asked. "Yep! The name's Dash" I stepped in front of Stance and bowed. "Well Dash I'm going to kill you, and your friend for wasting my time, alright?" both of the blademasters stepped forward weapon in hand. "Fine by me!" I spun my halberd around my head and assumed a combat ready position. "I cannot fight like I used to… I have had to completely change the way I fight… My old style is to tiring, so try to adapt…" Stance got serious and stepped ahead of me. "I will destroy you both" Stance stated this and drew his sword. "Enough talk! Let's fight!" both of the players ran forward. "Stepping stone!" I shouted as I ran towards Stance's back. "Up, and over…" Stance kneeled down and allowed me to use his back as a springboard. "What the!?" both of the blademasters shouted in unison as I jumped behind them. "They're flanking us!" one of the blademasters turned to face me while the other turned to face Stance. "Alright pal, let's not waste any time!" I ran forward spinning my halberd around my body as I did. The blademaster hastily brought his weapon up to defend himself, but fell for my feints, allowing me to jab at his exposed arm. "Keep an eye on my halberd buddy, I know it moves a lot, but you gotta follow it" I taunted. "Bastard!" He shouted and ran forward. I blocked his attacks, and slammed the blunt side of my halberd into his stomach. "Sheesh you really leave yourself open" I sighed and pushed him backwards onto the ground.

As Stance said earlier he was fighting in a completely different manner. He wasn't relying on his speed or power to defeat his opponent. He still held his sword with one hand, but his fighting style now seemed very conservative, and it made him seem extremely slow compared to how he used to fight. His opponent seemed to pick up on his slow speed, and was attacking repeatedly, without hesitation He constantly swung his sword, often times swinging his entire body around in an attempt to break through Stance's defenses. When it became too much to handle Stance gripped his swords with two hands, and parried each attack that was thrown at him. "To fast for you?" the blademaster taunted as he continued his assault. Stance swung his swords towards his opponents, and the two interlocked briefly before Stance effortlessly forced him backwards. "You efforts are in vain" Stance assumed his offensive style with his right hand, and taunted his opponent with his left. "We'll see about that!" The blademaster ran forward, and assaulted Stance with blinding speed. "This could get ugly…" I worriedly watched their battle. Stance parried each of his attacks, and soon he was on the offensive. The blademaster began to block Stance's attacks, but Stance easily halted that be forcing the blademasters arm to twist, with one of his parries. He dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. Stance reached forward and grabbed the man by the throat. He lifted him up with just one hand, and allowed his feet to dangle momentarily before savagely throwing him into a nearby wall. "Bi Ani Don!" Stance held out his left hand, and fired off a darkness spell that slammed into the player, and finished him off. He then glared at me and leveled his hand in my direction. "BiAni Don!" he fired off another spell, and I jumped sideways. The spell flew past me, and slammed into the player behind me, nearly killing him in the process. "What? Whoa, that was close" I laughed when I noticed Stance had saved me. "You are not concentrating, I can't prove anything to you if you are dead" Stance fired off another spell, and finished off the other blademaster. "Heh, that was pretty sharp of you… So, you starting to feel the flow of things?" I asked. "I am. We are a team" Stance nodded. "We'll see… So… Slowed things down have you?" I brought up the issue of how he was fighting. "Running around and blindly attacking like I did is too tiresome… Prolonged battle wears me down, and I end up losing. This is something I have come to learn" Stance explained. "Heh, works for you I guess, I just hope you can keep up with me, if you truly are my partner I'll be counting on you" I smirked. "There are more, deeper in the dungeon. If you wish leave, then I recommend we do so now. Those players will be back. If we take too long we will be surrounded" Stance explained. "I thought you said you're memories were messed up?" I smirked. "My memories have nothing to do with predicting how people act" Stance shook his head, and began to walk deeper into the dungeon. "We'll see…" I smirked and followed after Stance.

The second room was a large square; as soon as we entered we were greeted by a twin blade, and a heavy axeman. "Huh? Who are you guys?" The heavy axeman asked. "We're the guys who just broke through your guards outside, name's Dash. I heard you guys have been looking for me" I smirked and stepped forward. "That's him? He's just a wimpy long arm! Let's take him down and get our reward!" the twin blade sneered and readied his daggers. "… Man… It really makes me mad when they talk bad about the long arm class" I clenched my fist. "Why not show them what it's capable of?" Stance walked by and suggested. "Oh they're about to see firsthand…" I smirked. "Grab hold" I held out the end of my halberd to Stance. "…Alright" Stance gripped my halberd under the blade, and turned towards the enemy. "Just don't swing me into any walls…" Stance muttered. "Heh, we'll see" I smirked. "Well boys let me tell you something about the longarm class!" I began. "One thing that sets us apart from everyone else is our awesome range! Combine that with high attack, and you've got quite the combination!" I declared. "We don't' care! Just shut up!" The heavy axeman stepped forward and prepared to attack. "Sheesh, how rude can you get" I sighed. "Alright then" I sighed and began to walk backwards with Stance in tow. "Running away?!" the heavy axeman shouted. "No, just getting some running room" I smirked, and dashed forward, letting my blade fall behind me, while Stance still held onto it. Stance ran with me, but kept his grip firmly on my halberd, when we neared the heavy axeman I jumped forward and swung my halberd over my head. The heavy axeman jumped backwards, but what he didn't count on was the extra reach I had obtained. Stance held his sword out and fell with my halberd increasing its range by a substantial amount. Stance's blade met with little resistance as it slid straight down the heavy axeman, killing him instantly. Stance crashed into the ground, but suffered minimal damage. "Man I haven't done that one in a long time!" I smirked and ran over to Stance who was pulling himself to his feet. "Let's not do it again…" He gasped and healed himself with a Reapth spell. "Well it's like I said before. When you combine reach with high attack power you have a deadly combination… Of course my attack power isn't really high, but the same could not be said about my partner" I laughed. "What the… You guys are…" the twin blade began to panic. "Whoa are you getting scared?" I kind of felt bad for the guy. "Screw this!" he began to back away from Stance and I, but I walked after him. "Hey, you came expecting a fight right? You didn't just think it would be easy, did you?" I followed him around the hallways that formed a large square. "You can't just expect every player you come across to roll over and let you kill them" I sighed as I followed him around the room. He kept his attention focused on me, and backpedaled around the room, eventually he bumped into Stance's chest. "Wha-?" he spun around to meet Stance's dark armor. Stance wasted no time, he grabbed him the shoulders and threw him into a nearby wall. He marched over to the player, and picked him up again, this time Stance marched towards the dungeon entrance, and chunked the player out of the dungeon entirely. "Ha. That was great" I laughed. "The look on his face when he bumped into you" I shook my head. "Satisfied?" Stance asked. "One more room…" I smirked and made my way back into the dungeon.

"Except for these cages holding wired skeletons this room is clear" I studied the large Y shape room we entered. "It is possible we have eliminated them all" Stance stated. "I thought more people would have been here considering it was a bounty on my head" I sighed. "You should be careful with what you wish for" Stance shook his head. "We got em! Don't let them escape!" Suddenly all three entrances were flooded with players. "Oh… Crap…" I sighed as I realized we were completely surrounded. "Sure are a lot of them…" I gasped.

**Dash: Uhh... Hey, guys I've gotten myself into a bit of a situation here. Look I don't have time to explain, just get over to where I'm at as fast as possible! **

"Dash? You thinking what I am thinking?" Stance asked. "I sure am partner! Let's waste these guys! Back to back!" I spun around and stood towards the players readying to advance. I felt Stance's armor brush against my back as he did the same. "Royal Flush is on the way, we've just got to hold out until then. Got it? Partner?" I asked. "I have got your back" Stance tapped the back of my hand with his own.

"When this is over me and you have some serious discussing to do"

"Humph. Very well, but for now let us focus on these dissidents in front of us"

The players charged towards us, and Stance and I began to fight them off one by one. Each player that approached was sent flying back by our all out offense, Stance kept both of us at the peak of our powers with various strengthen magic. And when a heavy axeman or long arm would try to take advantage of Stance's short range, or a twin blade or blademaster would try to close the distance between me we would both spin around and switch places. "I could do this all day!" I laughed as I fought off more approaching players. "It would be easier with a third person! We've got an exposed flank!" Stance moved to intercept a player who tried to split us apart. "Guess so…" I parried an attack from a fellow longarm. "Things are getting rough… I don't know if my body can keep this up" I heard Stance breathing heavily behind me. "Come on, don't die on me now, the cavalry is almost here!" I pushed Stance into a nearby wall, and guarded him against the players by myself. Just as I was about to be overwhelmed four longarms rushed into the room, and completely cleared the place out. Those that were not killed by Stance and I were either finished off by Royal Flush, or retreated when they appeared. "Phew! Now that was a close call!" I turned to Stance who held himself up using the wall. "Well…" I casually walked over to him. _If this is truly Stance then he will..._ I could feel Stance's cold glare through the helmet. He pushed himself off the wall, and limped over to me. "Told you I had your back…" Stance and I exchanged fives, and then slammed our fist into one another. It was something I taught Stance when we first began playing together, when we first used teamwork to beat a monster. It was something you'd never expect Stance to do, but he was always happy to celebrate a victory, even if the method was rather "informal" as he called it. The man before me was truly Stance, my friend who had fallen into a coma in reality.

"Whoa there buddy" I caught Stance as he fell backwards. "I am tired… Let me sit…" Stance backed against the wall and took a seat on the cold dungeon floor. "No problem, but you're going to explain to me just what's going on, right?" I leaned against my halberd. "I'd like to know too… You said he was in a coma Joker, that's not something to joke about!" Spade ran over and slapped me. "How disgusting…" Club muttered. "What an asshole…" Diamond sighed. "Big meanie!" Heart shouted. "What!? Let him explain will you? He -is- in a coma! I wouldn't joke about that!" I shouted. "Enough… No more arguing… First and foremost… James, how is my body?" Stance asked. "Pretty bad… You're in a coma… At least in reality…" I awkwardly explained. "Asaoka and Yoko are pretty worried, and after seeing your body I can see why… All those machines hooked up to you…" I knew Kane wouldn't want me to sugarcoat it. "But I am not dead… A coma means I can awaken… That is such a relief…" Stance sighed. "You sound like you've been through hell" Diamond studied Stance. "You could say that…" Stance sighed. "So… You really are stuck in here huh?" I plopped down onto the floor and faced Stance. "Yes, at this point there is no denying that" Stance removed his helmet and shook his sweaty hair. "Whoa! Is that your face? Wow, never thought I'd get to see it! You always cover it up with a helmet" I laughed. "Wearing my helmet for too long gives me a headache… It is difficult to see out of it… That aside… I am glad you believe me… If you did not, I would have surely lost my sanity" Stance sighed. "That I doubt, the calm and collected Kane Takeshi?" I chuckled. "I believe I had some psychotic episodes before I found you… I would not laugh too much" Stance shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on for just one second" Spade interjected. "Just what the hell are you two talking about?" Spade sighed. "You remember earlier when I told you about Tsukasa, and how he was stuck in the game?" I asked. "Yeah?" Spade nodded. "It looks like Stance is in that same situation" I explained. "Is this some kind of joke?" Spade sighed. "Of course not! Stance is the same as Tsukasa! He… He even had one of those monsters…" I hesitated bringing it up, but by then it was too late. "He has one of those things? Then it could have been him who did that thing to us!" Spade grunted. "Don't be stupid!" I shouted. "You got a good look at him didn't you? Tsukasa looked nothing like Stance, so don't make accusations like that, I know Stance would never do something as awful as that" I shouted. "Stop shouting…" Stance sighed. "See for yourselves" Stance sighed. "Answer my call… Come forth** Aurora Gaze!**" Stance's shouts echoed the empty dungeon. A strange blue light appeared near Stance, and a familiar creature emerged from the blurry light. "It's the same! Look at it!" Spade declared. "No it isn't… This one is purple!" Heart happily declared. "The one that killed us was yellow!" she added. "She's right… The colors do not match…" Club nodded. "Could he have changed it?" Diamond asked. "His avatar isn't the same either…" Club shook her head. "Then… It wasn't Stance…" Spade sighed with relief. "Of course…" Stance sighed. "Help me up" He turned to the creature and held out his hand. A long tentacle emerged from the creature and wrapped itself around Stance's arm; lifting him to his feet. "But… How can he be stuck in The World? It's too farfetched, I can't just believe that" Spade sighed. "I went by the hospital on my way home, they had him hooked up to so many machines there is no way he'd be in any condition to do anything. In fact, let's give the hospital a call" I nodded, and removed my HMD. "Well hurry it up then" I heard Spade. I opened up a drawer near my bed and took out two cell phones. "Both should work…" I turned them both on. "There we go… Now to just give Jamie a call…" I dialed Jamie's, that is Club's number. "Huh? Who's this?" I heard her voice through one of my phones. "It's James, keep quiet will you? I want to get this over with as soon as possible" I sighed. "Long distance is expensive… Please do not take long" Jamie was polite as ever. "Alright not to call the hospital…" I picked up my other phone and activated its speaker function.

"Asahi general hospital, how may I help you?" a secretary answered the phone. "I would like to check on a patient currently being treated" I spoke politely. "Name?" She asked. "Takeshi Kane" I answered. "It's nice to see someone calling in to check on him… Are you his parents?" she seemed to know Kane. "No, just his friend" I sighed. "I see… Well… I'll connect you too the ICU" the phone clicked for a moment, and then another female suddenly answered. "Yeah, what do you want?" I heard a female literally sigh into the phone. "Natsuko right?" I couldn't hold back a sigh of my own. "Uh-huh… Something you need?" she asked. "Just calling to check on Kane, how is he doing?" I moved the phone closer to my other phone that had Cassie listening. "How do you think he's doing? His condition hasn't changed since you came to see him. He's still in a coma" Natsuko sighed. "Look, I don't have time for this; don't call back unless you're going to clue me in on what you know, alright? Damn kids" the phone suddenly cut off, she hung up on me. "She really can be a jerk sometimes…" I sighed. "So it's true? James, I am hanging up, please meet me back in The World" Jamie hung up, and I made my way back over to my desk.

"So it is true" Club bit her bottom lip. "From what Club translated… I guess so…" Spade nodded. "I still don't believe it" Diamond crossed her arms. "How wired…" Heart sighed. "Well, more to the point, how do we get you out of here?" Spade asked Stance. "You're Japanese… It's improving…" Kane leaned against a nearby wall and sighed. "Yeah? I've been practicing a lot! And with Club helping me through private messages, I'm probably just as fluent as her" Spade placed her hands on her hips and nodded. Club simply rolled her eyes and looked away. "Getting out… I do not know honestly… I met a hacker named Helba, she said she could probably help me, but it would take time" Stance explained. "A hacker? Stance you're accepting help from a hacker?" I gasped. "Of all things for you to… A hacker? Are you kidding me?" I sighed. "Given my situation I don't have much of a choice, and to be completely honest I don't recall ever wronging them or hating them… But that could just be my memory…" Stance sighed. "You did say your memory was bad earlier… Is everything alright?" Spade asked worriedly. "Bits and pieces… I remember… Things… Just not events… I know that Dash is my friend; I recall everything about him, and all he's taught me about The World… I just… Don't remember the last time we actually spoke… That goes for everyone… You four included" Stance explained. "We've met before, and I know you all… But that is all I can recall" he sighed. "So, this Helba is helping you?" I asked. "From what I can gather… She and Kasey seemed to be friends" Stance continued. "Whoa! Kasey? She's in on this? Wait, that makes her a hacker too! Just what's going on…?" I sighed. "She is helping me, and I can't turn her away after she gave me this program. Without it I would have been stuck in Net Slum for God knows how long" Stance explained. "Program?" I Club asked. "It is… Inside my wrist so to speak. It allows me to travel between areas without using an actual Chaos Gate. Because I do not see menus or have options like you, I have to rely on this program to travel. She called it "Gate Hack" Stance explained. "Alright… So Kasey is a "good guy"… That's good, but just what happened to you? You mind explaining how you ended up in this situation?" I asked. "It was… That voice… Morganna is what Helba called it. I found that area… There was…" Stance began. "A girl…?" he wasn't asking us, but rather himself. "Yes… That girl… I remember… There was a girl!" Stance nodded. "That girl in white… And this…" Stance reached behind his belt and held out a rather old looking teddy bear. "I got this from that area…" Stance studied the stuffed animal. "How cute!" Heart suddenly squealed and looked at the small toy. "Help you sleep at night?" I smirked. "Don't be foolish…" Stance placed the bear back in its original spot on his belt. "But it was that voice… Morganna, she did this to me" Stance nodded. "Easy enough… What did she look like?" I asked. "She didn't have a body" Stance shook his head. "What?" I, and my guild sighed out at once. "Helba said she could be described as… "The God of The World" Stance said something rather outrageous. "So what does that mean?" I asked. "Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue. But I have not met her since she attacked me, so I can only assume she is no longer interested in me" Stance explained. "Good news for us then… But… What can we do to get you out?" I asked. "Helba told me to wait, she said she was going to study my character's data; she said it was completely different from what a regular character's should be… Other than that I have decided to search for The Key of the Twilight while I wait for Helba to come to her conclusion. This whole mess started with Tsukasa, and the appearance of his monster, now everyone is looking for The Key of the Twilight… Given my situation is –has- to exist… I know it does, and if I can find it, I may be able to return to my body in reality" Stance explained. "So… The Key of the Twilight… No doubt the rumors have really become rampant since the incident with Tsukasa…" I nodded. "Well, that's the plan then… We need to find The Key of the Twilight!" I stood up, and nodded. "You'll help?" Stance asked. "Of course, we're pals aren't we? Besides, can't just let you rot away in here can we? Gotta say though I'm kind of curious as to how it feels…" I nodded. "It's no different from real life, Dash" Stance picked up his helmet. "And could you please stop that? It is very annoying" Stance brushed away Spade's hand; she had somehow slipped away from the rest of the guild and was poking the Stance's neck. "Wha! You can feel that?" Spade jumped back away from Stance. "Of course… I've already told you have I not? This is reality for me… This is my body. I may seem like nothing more than an avatar to you, but you are all very real to me" Stance explained. "So do you get sleepy, or hungry?" Heart asked. "I get tired, and I have slept four times since I've entered this state, I think… I normally sleep in the bottom of a dungeon, in a room that no one would enter… As far as hunger goes… I have had urges… But I have not acted on them… The only real food that exists in The World is for grunties… And I would rather avoid eating those, so as long as I do not need to, I'll avoid eating" Stance explained. "Wouldn't touch the stuff either…" I nodded. "Well, I'll have to let Asaoka know what's going on" I explained. "Is that a good idea?" Stance asked. "Of course it is, she'll want to know" Stance's response caught me off guard. "But will she believe you?" Stance asked. "I had to corner you, and risk my life to prove to you who I was, and you are my best friend" Stance explained. "Walking up to her in reality, or calling her and trying to explain things will make you look crazy. And you can almost guarantee she'll never speak with you again, or step foot in The World" Stance added. "Hm… You might be right" I nodded in agreement. "You'll have to set her up. Make sure she can confirm that I am in a coma, and then bring her in game. If you can do that, I can force her to believe" Stance said something really strange. "Force her?" I nearly choked on the words. "I couldn't convince you with mere words, I doubt I'll be able to convince her. This is assuming you wish to involve her. I'll leave that up to you" Stance crossed his arms. "Up to me? Stance isn't she your… You know… You two were acting like…" I hesitated. "Like what? If you have something to say; then say it" Stance shot me a cold glare. "Well… A couple…" I blurted out. "What? Our relationship is purely professional" Stance glared at me as though I smacked him in the face. "What?! But just the other day you two were all… You don't remember?" I couldn't help but get angry. "I know that I am a class representative, and she is my assistant… But I think I would know more than anyone… I wouldn't allow such a relationship to form, it is highly unethical" Stance shook his head. "She is a friend, but nothing more" Stance said coldly. "What!? After everything that happened you're saying things like that?!" Before I realized what I was doing I grabbed Stance by the throat. _That night… He doesn't remember a thing… He was acting so calm after what happened… But… He's just gone back to the way he was before…_ "You really don't remember…" I let Stance go, knowing it wasn't entirely his fault. "I… I don't know if I want to involve Asaoka… I'll have to think about it" I turned my back to Stance and sighed. "I will leave the decision up to you" Stance nodded. "Yeah…" I sighed and turned back to Stance. "So, what should we do now?" I asked. "The Crimson Knights are after me, so I have been avoiding Root Towns" Stance shook his head. "The knights? What for?" I asked. "Player Killing. A run in with Kaochin clued me in on quite a bit" Stance shrugged. "That's right… You joined her guild to fight against the knights" I sighed. "Indeed… Kaochin herself was able to explain to me a great deal. As far as I can gather, I was kicked from the Crimson Knights for a foolish reason, and I joined up with Kaochin's guild" Stance explained. "The Iniquity Knights" I stated. "Correct. If I was helping Kaochin it's only natural for the knights to peruse me… After all I can only imagine what I did to anger them. It couldn't have happened at a worse time either" Stance sighed. "For now I've been avoiding Root Towns, and trying to not to draw their attention. I have also avoided Root Towns for fear of running into Kaochin herself. I know her character, and the way she acts… If I am a member of her guild she'll ask me to do something that would draw attention from the knights, and I can't have that… And should I refuse she would simply force me, or kill me off herself… She is not aware of my situation, and I would rather not involve her. So it may be best to make my time spent in Root Towns short" Stance explained. "That does sound like a good idea" Club nodded. "Well… We need a game plan" I gestured for everyone to come closer. "Alright… So, here's what we'll do. Stance since it's a bad move for you to hang around in root towns, it's probably best if you stay in areas, and try not to draw attention. We'll gather information, and let you know what we find. If we get any solid leads we'll let you know, alright?" I explained. "Dash… You want me to… Stay in these fields… Alone?" Stance asked timidly. "You can't very well hang out in towns can you? You'd have the Crimson Knights all over you, and not to mention Kaochin, something you want to avoid, right?" I asked. "Yes but… I…" Stance stammered. "What seems like an entire day to me is only a matter of hours in reality" Stance explained. "Sounds rough… But what's your point?" I shrugged. "You idiot!" Spade smacked me across the back of the head. "He's lonely!" She shouted. "What? Stance doesn't get lonely" I chuckled. "He's always told me how he prefers to work alone when he was with the Crimson Knights, and…" I couldn't help but stare at the aggravated Stance. "I am only human… Just what kind of person do you think I am?" Stance crossed his arms and glared at me. "Well you're always keeping to yourself… You never really talked when I brought company on our adventures… I just figured…" I hesitated to continue. "I wouldn't continue" Stance threatened. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea…" I awkwardly scratched my head. "Well I guess even the hard and cold knight gets lonely from time to time, heh" I laughed. "Not a problem, we'll keep you company when we can, I'd tell you to go play with Kaochin but… The only thing you'd be playing with is your own life I suppose" I nodded. "It's night in Japan, but morning in America, yeah that's perfect. Looks like the time zones are on our side this time" I smirked. "Works out great, you four can hang out with Stance while I go to school and work, and then we can hang out afterwards, that works out great" I nodded. "Fine by me" Spade shrugged. "Acceptable" Club nodded in agreement. "Whatever, he just better keep that monster away from me" Diamond muttered. "Alright then, Dash since you'll be sleeping soon you'll hang out with him first, we'll go out and gather more information" Spade declared. "You sure? You've been doing that a lot lately…" I suddenly felt bad about making them do all the work. "Sure! It's pretty fun speaking another language, and I never get to do it unless I'm playing The World" Spade laughed. "You always were easily amused…" I smirked. "What was that?" Spade shouted. "Nothing! You should get going!" I dodged Spade's attack, and hurried away before she had a chance to follow through.

"So…" Once my guild was gone I turned to Stance. Stance crossed his arms like he normally would and turned to face me. "You seem to be taking this well" I shrugged. "I have had plenty of time to cope, I've gotten my crying, screaming, and insecurities out of the way" Stance spoke firmly. "I want out" He added. "Not what it's cracked up to be?" I playfully asked. "We'll get you out, just gotta wait for Helba, and maybe find that key while we're at it, eh?" I shouldered my Halberd. "Kind of boring here, not to mention depressing" I finally realized how dark and menacing this dungeon was. "I do not have a list of keywords to form an area… So… I simply let my feelings take control, and blurt out three words until I ended up in this area" Stance explained. "Depressed?" I asked. "Mildly…" Stance nodded. "Well staying here won't fix anything, and I'm starting to get depressed as well. Let's go somewhere else; you don't mind fighting do you?"I asked timidly. "Fighting is inevitable, but there are limits to what I am willing to do… Nothing to dangerous" Stance stressed this point. "Hey when you're with me, you're in good hands" I laughed. "Let's go somewhere more our style" I added. "This place is starting to get me depressed, let's get out of here" I motioned towards the exit. "Very well" Stance nodded.

…

Both Stance and I stared in silence at what stood before us. "This is your idea of good hands?" Stance grunted as he took a step backwards. "How the heck was I supposed to know…?" I muttered. The moment we left the dungeon we entered the raging lightning storm outside, and before us stood someone we both –really- did not want to see. "Stance? I knew if I followed that buffoon I'd find you…" the blonde haired female was clouded in darkness, but occasionally appeared when lightning lit up the area. "Yeah… We were about to go and hang out, so we'll be on our way" I explained. "No… Stance is coming with me, he said he'd help me" Kaochin snapped. "I do not remember making any plans with you for today" Stance spoke up. "The price you pay for joining my guild, you have to help me when I ask!" Kaochin retorted. "What do you need help with?" Stance asked. "I… I just want you to come with me, you're a member of my guild so we have to accomplish our goal" Kaochin wasn't visible, but I could faintly make out her crossing her arms. "The Crimson Knights are perusing me, I cannot afford to draw their attention" Stance explained. "That's good, you're just like me!" Kaochin giggled. "We are… Look, just come with me, alright?" Kaochin was obviously becoming impatient. "I can't do that" Stance stood firm. "But… You're in my guild, you have to!" Kaochin shouted. "You have other members, I am busy at the moment" Stance shook his head. "I bought that excuse earlier…" Kaochin grunted. "Fine, if you won't agree, then I'll just force you to" Kaochin sighed playfully and I could easily sense her sadistic grin through the darkness. "I don't want to fight" Stance took a step backwards. "No need, I'll just drag you along with me" Kaochin laughed. Battle-mode activated, and we were no longer able to gate out, at least not with Kaochin in front of us. "Give up Stance, or fight me" Kaochin giggled. "Stance! We can take her; we've done it plenty of times before, right?" I readied my halberd and nodded to Stance. "I don't remember… But I do know I –can- best her… I'll attack first" Stance drew his sword, and held it one handed like he used to. He probably knew as I; speed was Kaochin's weakness, fighting like he used to is his best chance. "You could still run away Kaochin, we'll just end up beating you, like always" I taunted. "Confident as ever, I think now is a fitting time to put you in your place" I heard Kaochin's sadistic laughter. "I don't get why she's so confident, she's never beaten us before…" I shook my head. "Trying to psyche us out, don't fall for it Stance" I warned him. "Of course" Stance nodded. "Prepare yourself Kaochin!" Stance dashed forward and let out a mighty battle cry. Stance became a mere shadow in the darkness as he approached Kaochin; I followed him so I could keep an eye on him. Stance thrust his sword straight at Kaochin with blinding speed; I knew there was no defending against it.

"What!?" Stance's surprised voice suddenly brought me back into reality. Stance had just barely missed Kaochin; I wouldn't have believed if it I hadn't seen it with my own eyes but… "She dodged it!?" I gasped. "Pha…" Kaochin lightly giggled and placed her hand near Stance's breast. "Rai…" She lightly pressed it against his armor. "Rom" her hand erupted in a violent flash of lightning that lit up the whole area. "Stance!?" his body rolled across the muddy ground from the force of her spell. "Alright, now you're gonna get it!" I jumped forward and ran towards Kaochin. "Here we go!" I spun my halberd around my head and slashed at her chest. Kaochin simply took one step backwards, and my attack barely missed her. "Pha Rai…" Kaochin leveled her free hand in my direction. "Oh no you don't! Beast's Blood!" I used an item called "Beast Blood" on myself. "Rom!" Kaochin's finished her spell and numerous bolts of lightning sprung from her hand. The lightning slammed into me but due to the effects of the item I used my magical defense was greatly increased, the spell burned my armor in several spots, and left my skin charred in some cases, but I survived. "Now you'll get it!" I held my halberd with one hand, and charged frantically towards Kaochin. "Foolish" Kaochin laughed and swung her axe down at my body. As her axe neared I leapt upwards, and grabbed onto the long handle of her axe. "Die!" my legs drug across the muddy ground as I flipped over her handle and leapt above her. I slammed my Halberd down over the top of her head, and the blade smashed into her skull with a loud thud. "How'd you like that?" I fell to the ground in front of Kaochin and smirked. "A petty attempt" Kaochin suddenly faded from view and reappeared. "What the?" I gasped as I caught a clear glimpse of Kaochin's attire. "Pretty cool, don't you think?" Kaochin smirked and spun around showing off her light blue dress. "Purple was more you're color" I smirked. "No taste…" Kaochin's left eye was covered by a pitch black eye patch, but her sinister grin did not change; unlike her outfit. "A new outfit won't help you though, no matter how good it may look; you know that right?" I lowered my combat stance and used my legs and my free hand to support me. "Of course…" Kaochin smirked and ran her free hand through her bright yellow hair, and along her eye-patch. "My natural look has always been more appealing than that stupid purple outfit I've been wearing… But…" Kaochin laughed.

"Kaochin!" A horrific shout stopped our rather playful conversation. Stance emerged from the darkness, and judging by the tone of his voice he wasn't playing around. "Oh? I thought you were dead" Kaochin laughed but didn't bother to look at Stance. I could tell by Stance's posture he was about to summon his guardian; Kaochin had no idea what she was doing, so I did what came natural. "Stance!" I ran forward using my hands and legs and leapt onto of him tackling him to the ground. "What the heck are you doing idiot?" I whispered. "She tried to kill me, get off of me now!" Stance's hand held firmly around my throat. "Idiot! She doesn't know what she's doing; this is just a game to her" I whispered. "And I am just defending myself! Now get out of my way!" Stance tightened his grip. "So… This is what it's come to? Mister hard man who always following the rules is about to knock out a helpless player because he's getting his butt kicked in a video game? Yeah, you're a real man" I taunted Stance. "Stop getting so pissed off, and play by the rules of the game, she's not your enemy. And above all else she does not deserve to be knocked out in reality, not like my friends were, no matter how horrible she acts in game, she's still human" I explained. "So stop letting your anger get the better of you, and play by the rules!" I shouted. "Stance tightened his grip and threw me to the side just as Kaochin's axe came crashing down atop us. "He barely managed to draw his sword in time, and block her attack. "My,how persistent" Kaochin held her axe above Stance and easily drove it downward with just one of her hands. "To bad I can't see your struggling face" Kaochin sighed at Stance as her axe neared his throat. "Hey! Over here!" I dropped my "beast" routine and vaulted forward, kicking Kaochin across the face as I flew by her. "You can be a real pain sometimes…" Stance grunted as he stood up. "Hey I'm just keeping you on the straight and narrow" I chuckled. "I've always walked the straight and narrow, taking a detour with you leads me to a dead end" Stance casually walked over to me and slapped me upside the head. "Real cute" I sighed. "I suggest you think of a way to get me out of this situation" Stance glared at Kaochin who was now starting to stand. "Why do I have to think of a way out?" I asked. "Because I have already found one" Stance answered coldly. "Let's just go all out, and give her all we've got! That will drive her off" I smirked and prepared to attack. "Normally I am the one who chooses to fight, no negotiations?" Stance asked. "Have you seen her? That new outfit must have gone to her head, that or she's been doing some serious push-ups or something" I shook my head. "Since when was she this strong?" I asked. "That is a redundant question, I would not be able to recall what made her this powerful" Stance explained. "I love how you answer my rhetorical questions…" I sighed. "And I love how you waste time asking questions that are not supposed to be answered" Stance sighed. "Well… Ready to fly?" I let out one last sigh and asked. "Just get on with it" Stance placed his sword in his left hand and held firmly onto my free hand. "I didn't know you two had that kind of relationship" Kaochin laughed. "She keeps talking like that I may just let you use that stupid monster on her…" I grunted. "You sound angry" I knew Stance was smirking under his helmet. "This is ridiculous! After all we did, and the severity of the situation she shows up like always and just… What is her problem!?" I shouted. "Come on!" I tightened my grip on Stance's hand and ran forward. "Up you go!" I planted my halberd into the ground and vaulted up into the air like I was accustomed to, only this time when I reached the peak of my vault I used all of my strength and threw Stance above me. I fell back to the ground and landed back on the ground and dashed towards Kaochin. "That was stupid" Kaochin said bluntly. "We'll see!" as I neared she swung her axe towards me but I fell forward and slid underneath her attack, and her legs. "Got you!" as I passed under her legs I grabbed both of her shins and drug her down to the ground. "Anid Crack!" Stance landed on her chest and began to pummel her using a darkness based skill. Stance slashed at her abdomen, and occasionally her face; before stepping off her and taking a position next to me. "Phew, that got her" I whipped the rain from my face and nodded. "Not really… But that attack does warrant recovery" Kaochin was still lying on the muddy ground, but she giggled as if nothing were wrong. "Why isn't she dying?" I looked to Stance. "Just attack!" Stance ran forward. "Reapth!" Kaochin healed herself with the weakest spell available. "Come on" Kaochin stood up and readied for Stance's attack. "Gi Rai Rampage!" Kaochin took the initiative and used a skill. Stance took notice and brought his sword up to parry her attack but his guard was easily crushed by Kaochin's power; her axe slammed into Stance's armor and utterly crushed his breastplate, shards of metal flew everywhere along with Stance's blood as her axe tore through his flesh. "That's going too far!" I ran forward and prepared to attack Kaochin. "Pha Rai Don!" Kaochin fired off a powerful thunder spell that floored me. "Can this fight get anymore Anti Climatic?" I struggled to my feet. "I wouldn't move" Kaochin held Stance by the neck and she proudly waved him around like some kind of trophy. "I want a good look at your face" Kaochin delightfully pulled Stance's helmet off and smiled at his pained expression. "Now, you remember when you joined my guild don't you? How I was kind enough to offer you shelter when Subaru cast you out?" Kaochin smiled and shoved her free hand into Stance's free wound. "You said you'd be there when I needed you, and I won't let you lie to me. We're friends after all!" Kaochin twisted her hand sideways and Stance responded violently. "Kaochin, you've had your fun! You need to stop, come on!" I shouted. "This is a conversation between friends, please butt out" Kaochin snapped. "What kind of friend tortures their friend like that?" I shouted. "Good question! Why not ask Stance? After all he lied to his friend, and ignored her when she asked for his help" Kaochin shook Stance and laughed. "What do you want?" Stance coughed. "I really love how you're going through such lengths to express pain! But… This is all too easy…" Kaochin sighed and tossed Stance to the floor. "Hey, Stance…" Kaochin placed her foot on his wounded chest. "You remember when we first met don't you? Do you remember what I told you back then?" Kaochin playfully stomped around Stance's chest. "Kaochin! Stop this now!" I shouted. "You shut up before I kill him, and then finish you off!" Kaochin shouted. "Remember? I told you I had been playing for a long time" Kaochin smirked. "Longer than most… You remember? I told you I have been playing The World since "Fragment". You never found it strange how you were constantly beating someone who had been playing from the moment The World was released? Hehe…" Kaochin giggled. "Just what are you talking about?" I began to walk around to Kaochin's rear. "Isn't it obvious? I purposely wear equipment that weakens me so things aren't killed in one hit when I attack them!" Kaochin laughed. "And since the administration has closed down all the higher level root towns so I've decided to be fair to everyone, and have a little fun while I'm at it. Being such a high level makes fighting the knights so easy… And I can't forget you… All of our little fights were you've walked away the victor… Haha, it's funny because you're the only Crimson Knight I've never utterly killed by ridding myself of that bothersome equipment… And this is the thanks I get…" Kaochin walked over Stance. "One last chance… I could still use your help" Kaochin smirked and looked down at Stance. He held up his hand, and the space behind Kaochin distorted. "Kaochin!" I shouted. "Shut up, and let him answer!" Kaochin looked to Stance's hand with a pleased smile. The guardian Stance summoned was right behind Kaochin, and prepared to attack her exposed back. "Stance, think about what you're doing!" I shouted. "I'm only going to ask once…" Kaochin began. A tentacle emerged from the large purple monster and it prepared to impale Kaochin, and knock her out in reality. "I need three people for this stupid event, Karl is busy, and I don't know where the other two fools are" Kaochin placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

"What!?" the tense atmosphere completely vanished, the guardian with it.

"Why didn't you tell us that to begin with?" I felt like screaming. "This seemed like more fun" Kaochin giggled. "So, what is your answer?" Kaochin looked expectantly to Stance. "If you will heal me…" Stance seemed about as amused as I was. "Will you beg?" Kaochin looked down at the injured Stance, completely unaware of what she had really done. "Please…" Stance coughed a little as he spoke, I was amazed he hadn't bled to death, but he isn't actually bleeding. As long as his HP remains like that he'll probably remain in that state of near death. Man, how messed up can you get… Who designed this? "Haha! Good! Here you go" Kaochin laughed. "Pha Reapth!" Kaochin cast the strongest healing spell available to players; curing Stance completely. "Thank you" Stance grunted as he stood up. _He's not going to attack her now is he?_ "So… What's this I hear about an event?" I ran between them and tried to make small talk. "It's an event centered on trivia or some junk. If it were about combat I could do it myself, but I don't want to waste my time going down there only to be asked a dumb question they can't expect me to answer. That's why Stance is coming with me" Kaochin explained. "Wait, that's the event? You need help with answering questions?" I tried to hide my amusement. "Well, how about me? I'm not some battle maniac you know, kind of nice to see an event not centered on fighting for once, mind if I tag along?" I asked. "But you're an idiot aren't you?" Kaochin frowned and pointed at me. "That he is" Stance nodded. "Hey, come on now… Kaochin said it herself; she couldn't find anyone to go with her, and you'll have an extra space available, why not invite old Dash to tag along, you might learn something" I smirked. "Fine… But if you screw us up I'll kill you!" the blonde headed female sighed. "Well alright, we shall we go?" I tossed my halberd over my shoulder. "Meet me in Mac Anu, we'll go the area from there, got it? Don't make me wait!" Kaochin gave us an ominous warning and left.

The moment Kaochin left a tremendous force knocked me over in reality, and sent me face first into my monitor. "What the heck was that for?!" I shouted as I held my aching head in reality. Stance was standing behind me with his guardian; its tentacle slowly retracted back into its body. "An event!? What a brilliant idea! Let's fight her! I nearly died because she wanted me to help her with an event! And one that does not even involve combat!" Stance shouted. "What!? I didn't hear you object! Besides I was just following you!" I retorted. "So now I am the leader?" Stance crossed his arms. "Well you're not much of a follower" I chuckled. "How childish, blaming someone else…" Stance sighed. "Oh I'm the child? Here you are, smacking people around with that stupid monster because things didn't go your way! What's up with that?!" I asked. "I was shocked, slashed, stepped on, and nearly killed. I wonder; just how many times in your life have you been attacked with an axe? Have you been stabbed? Or slashed?" Stance asked. "Ah… Well… Sheesh, alright… Let's just call this one a fifty/fifty" I suggested. "Sixty/forty" Stance countered. "What, you were ready to rumble just like me! Face it, you had the exact same idea, in fact you were going to use that stupid monster and screw with her in reality, and all she wanted to do was hang out!" I retorted. "Fifty/fifty" Stance withdrew his offer. "Alright then, fine with me" I nodded and extended my hand towards him. "Cool?" I asked. "Until you screw up again" Stance shook my hand. "No… Until we both screw up again" I smirked.

"Well… Here we are" Stance and I appeared right in front of Kaochin, she must have equipped her old equipment because she was wearing the purple dress I was accustomed to. "Took you long enough, can we get going?" Kaochin let out an exaggerated sigh. "Where to?" I asked. "**Δ Quiet Solitary Feeling**, that's where the event is being held" Kaochin explained. "What I wouldn't give… Well, you said this event was centered around trivia? Must not have caught my mind" I pondered. "Obviously…" Kaochin giggled. "Let's get going before I lose my enthusiasm, they might close the even down, and I want to know what their offering as a prize" Kaochin snickered. "What would you give someone for winning an event based on knowledge? A diploma or certificate?" I wondered. "It would be the only diploma you will ever receive" Stance interjected. "Real cute. But just who has the higher grade point average?" I smirked. "Good question" Stance stated this and said nothing more. _Did he forget?_ "Come on, shut up! Let's go!" Kaochin marched towards the chaos gate and Stance and I followed her. Kaochin activated the chaos gate and all three of us were transported to the appropriate field.

"How bland…" Kaochin commented. "Bland? It's a forest! Just what about a jungle is bland?" I asked. "Just what is so exciting about one?" Kaochin answered my question with one of her own. "Sheesh, I don't know… The trees? The animals? The fact that it's a lot different from what I'm used to?" I shrugged. "You're a pretty ignorant person" Kaochin commented. "I actually prefer the term "arrogant" I chuckled. "Would you mind if I just called you stupid from now on? It's a lot easier" Kaochin smiled happily and looked at me. "And I'll just call you "Spoiled Brat" I met Kaochin's smile with one of my own. "Hey Stance, you agree with me don't you?" Kaochin turned to Stance, perhaps just to satisfy herself. "You both are wasting a good deal of time" Stance took the highroad, probably the smartest thing to do right now. "Heh, yeah Stance is right, we should get going" I nodded. "Humph! I'm the leader, you'll follow me" Kaochin stopped me from going ahead and took off on her own.

"Greetings! Are you the leader?" A rather dumb looking NPC dressed like a clown turned to Kaochin and asked. "Of course!" Kaochin flaunted herself even to artificial intelligence. "You've come here to take the challenge of knowledge, have you not?" the NPC asked. "We've come here to crush this pathetic challenge" Kaochin grinned. "Somewhere in this dungeon are three statues, each guarding a precious item. Answer their questions correctly, and the item they are guarding will be yours. You may challenge only once, and you're not allowed to start over! Now; we have registered your party, so please proceed!" The NPC bowed and beckoned us inwards towards the forest like dungeon "Good luck!" the NPC added.

"Well… I guess it's inside here" our group stood outside a large red building. "Obviously…" Kaochin sighed. "Will we enter?" Stance asked. "Of course, let's go!" Kaochin lead the way into the red stone building. In the center of the building was a large statue; as the NPC had explained. It really didn't stand out, but it looked kind of like a giant cat. "Welcome, now answer my question!" the statue roared. "In the book of revelations; there were twelve stones that were to become the foundation of the twelve gates on the walls of New Jerusalem… Which of these is the 9th true treasure?" I gave out a riddle. "What kind of question is that? I'm no Christian!" Kaochin grunted. "Nor am I… What about you Dash?" Stance tossed his glance over to me. "Heh, you're in luck!" I smirked. "The answer of course; is sapphire" I didn't even have to think about it. The statue began to rumble, and slowly slid backwards, revealing a small treasure chest. "Heh, what's next?" I smirked and kicked the small chest open. "Wow, you're not completely useless after all… So, did you cheat?" Kaochin crossed her arms and glared at me. "Cheat? Hah! Yeah right. I just knew the answer, I always got bored when mom forced me to go to church with her, so I just read the bible on my own while he preached. Old and new testaments too!" I smirked. "This is something I will not be allowed to forget, this am I sure" Stance sighed. "But… I must say I am impressed. You are always sleeping in class…" Stance muttered. "Heh, not a big deal, just comes naturally. Besides, I only sleep when I already know the material" I nodded. "You sleep an awful lot" Stance grunted. "Well yeah I suppose I do" I laughed, and reached into the chest. "What have we here?" I held up a necklace containing a large blue stone. "A sapphire" Stance responded. "Nice little accessory I suppose, not much use though…" I examined the item before throwing it to Stance. "Guard it carefully; don't want anyone trying to steal it from us" I explained. "Of course" Stance nodded and placed the necklace inside one of the pouches on his belt. "Let's go" Kaochin sighed.

"So, Kaochin, you've been playing since fragment, huh?" we were hopelessly lost, so I decided to break the boredom with some conversation, hopefully one that Kaochin couldn't sour. "Yep. I was one of the few selected to participate" Kaochin mused. "What was it like?" I was always curious about what The World was like during its testing phases, but I never actually met someone who played during fragment. "Hm… Some aspects where better… Others were pretty crappy, and were removed when Fragment was upgraded into The World" Kaochin explained. "What kind of content was removed?" Stance asked the question I was about to. "Some classes; like Bowman, Martial Artist, and Beast-master. The classes that made it to the final version had their named changed, and received a complete overhaul" Kaochin went on. "Oh? What was the Long Arm class before it was actually called "Long Arm?" I asked. "Pikeman. Most classes had rather archaic names like that. Blademaster was called "Knight". Twinblades were called "Assassins". "Heavy Axemen were just called Axemen. Wavemasters were called Mages" Kaochin counted off the classes. "What about Heavy Blades?" I asked. "It was German. They were called… Ver… Verlorene…" Kaochin stopped and tried to sound out some foreign sounding word. "Verlorene Haufe?" Stance stopped his march and looked back to Kaochin. "Yeah… How'd you know?" Kaochin asked. "It's German. It means "Forlorn Hope". It could also be translated as "Lost Hope" Stance explained. "Strange name for a class that wields large swords…" I stated. "I never really understood it either" Kaochin shrugged. "It was a term used for men who were forced, or volunteered to lead an attack, normally to break up an enemy spear wall, or attack an enemy in an entrenched position. Like enemies standing guard on walls during the siege of a settlement. Normally people in the first wave of such an attack would be killed or fatally wounded, but those that survived received great honor, and valor. They would normally be armed with large weapons used to break up enemy lines. The weapon of choice would normally be a Zweihander, or one of the many polearms available. Zweihander were extremely large two handed swords; a typical attack would involve them using the large sword to break an enemy's pole-arm, then they would charge forward and carve a bloody trail through the front line" Stance finished his long winded explanation. "The idea for the Heavy Blade class probably came from that concept" Stance added. "Doesn't sound like a job I'd want… Sheesh" I sighed just thinking about what those men felt like. "That's because you are a coward" Kaochin chuckled. "Self preservation makes me a coward? Heh, whatever you say. I just don't like the idea of running down a path I know will lead to my end" I shrugged. "Ha! Well maybe you'd die. But if I were in that situation I'd destroy the entire army single handedly" Kaochin boldly declared. "You know what… I don't find that hard to believe… Which is actually kind of scary" I smirked. "Of course!" Kaochin smiled and posed proudly. "It sounds to me like Fragment was based more on a classical or medieval setting" Stance said thoughtfully. "It was. Wave-crests did not exist, and we were allowed to input any word we wanted into the Chaos Gate" Kaochin nodded. "Man… I bet there were an endless number of fields you could go to…" I gasped. "It was fun… It was before the knights; maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much…" Kaochin muttered. "A lot of rumors though, not that it's any different that The World today… People dying, upside down men… Comas… I'm sure you know the stories" Kaochin chuckled. "All too well…" Stance cynically laughed to himself. "Well… We're still lost… We should try and find the next statue" I stretched and surveyed the area. "It's your fault for holding us up… But whatever, let's go" Kaochin ordered.

…

"Well, I guess this is it" We stood outside another stone like hut. "Good thing Stance knows a thing or two about navigation" I chuckled. "Whatever! Let's go!" Kaochin grunted, obviously angry she was the reason we got lost. "Ladies first" I bowed as she marched past me. "Dash..," Stance grabbed my arm before I entered and pulled me towards him. "Yeah? What's up?" I asked. "I think we are being watched" Stance whispered. "Yeah? What makes you think so?" I asked. "A bad feeling… While we were lost I could have sworn I had someone whispering, and at times laughing… Maybe I am losing my sanity, but I believe we should be cautious" Stance explained. "Yeah? Well… Yeah, you're right. Let's keep one ear to the ground, eh?" I nodded and followed Kaochin into the yellow hut. "Another statue" Stance noted the large yellow statue in the center of the room. "Wonder what it'll ask?" I wondered aloud. "Welcome. Now answer my question" the statue commanded. "In a world where 1 is 2, 5 is 5, and 8 is 7… What thing appears when you multiply 331 and 3 without heaven and earth?" the statue roared. "What?" I nearly threw my halberd to the ground. "Math… I am no good at math…" Stance sighed. "Humph… well 331 multiplied by 3 is 993" Kaochin stated. "But what do you get when you take away heaven and earth?" I asked. "Heaven and earth could refer to the ground and sky" Stance suggested. "So… You get a floating number? I don't get it" I shrugged. "Maybe you flip it over?" Kaochin suggested. "Now you've got a backwards three and sixty six" I sighed. "Well what does this thing want from us?!" Kaochin shouted. "Backwards three… Dash, I believe I may have an answer…" Stance nodded. "Yeah? Well don't be shy" I sighed and gestured towards the stupid statue giving these ridiculous riddles.

"Heeeeeelllllllooooooo?" A high pitched voice echoed throughout the area.

"What the heck was that?" Stance, Kaochin and I all glared towards the entrance. "Tsukasa? I want to play a game!" a green haired man skipped through the shadows. "What did he just say?" I glared to Stance. "Tsukasa…?! You there!" Stance stepped forward. "What do you know of the player known as Tsukasa?! I demand you tell me everything you know, immediately!" Stance commanded. "Oh? I could have sworn he'd be here…" the player stepped forward revealing his features. "Sora!?" I shouted in shock. "OH! It's you! It's not Tsukasa, but I suppose I could play a game with my old friend!" Sora gleefully cheered. "You're no friend of mine!" I countered. "Oh come on… We used to have so much fun together!" Sora danced around the area while speaking. "Cut the crap! What do you know of Tsukasa?" I asked. "He's an interesting person isn't he?" Sora asked. "Answer my questions!" Stance stepped forward and reached out towards Sora's throat. "Not so fast!" Sora suddenly jumped up; landing on Stance's shoulders. "You shouldn't invade people's personal space like that" Sora shrugged and laughed at the same time. Stance unsheathed his sword with a loud cry and swung towards Sora; however Sora easily jumped out of the way, and landed behind Stance. "Fighting you would be boring" Sora practically yawned. "Who is this clown?" Kaochin finally spoke up. "Oh…? And just who are you?" Sora moved so fast he practically disappeared and reappeared behind Kaochin. "Hey… Why don't you give me your member address?" Sora suggested this idea, his blades resting against Kaochin's exposed neck. "How about you kiss my ass?" Kaochin countered his offer with one of her own. "How boring…" he let out a simple sigh before cutting into her neck. Kaochin's body fell forward; her death was instant having such a vital part of her body slashed like that. "Sora, you monster!" I readied my halberd. "Its fun being a monster" Sora licked the blood on his wrist blade.

"Sora!" Stance's voiced shook the small stone hut. He charged forward and tackled Sora to the floor. Sora however easily used the momentum to his advantage, and rolled backwards to his feet. "So you want to play a little game? Alright let's dance!" Sora laughed and assumed a combat position. Stance held his sword with both hands and marched over to Sora. He brought his sword crashing down, but Sora blocked his attack using just one of his blades. "It's not much of a game unless you're going to put all you've got into it!" Sora laughed. Stance began to swing his weapon faster, each swing seemed like it had enough to crush Sora, but he just stood there blocking with one hand and yawning with the other. While Sora was yawning Stance reached out and grabbed his extended hand. "Uhh…?" Sora stopped his taunting and looked at his captured hand. "I'll crush you!" Stance threw him over his shoulder and onto the ground. Stance's sword was above his head but he brought it crashing down on Sora.

Stance suddenly dropped his weapon and his hand fell limp.

"Whoops… I thought I would only have to use one hand… But I guess I was wrong" Sora laughed and drug Stance to his feet. "Aww… That looks like it hurts" Sora's right hand, and the blade atop it was shoved into Stance's stomach. "Here, hold this; if you would be so kind" Sora jammed his left hand and the blade affixed to it into Stance's stomach. "You didn't put up enough of a fight… You should work a little harder" Sora stepped on Stance's feet and laughed to himself. "Bye bye…" Sora thrust his hands upwards, and his blades cut through Stance's armor, and flesh, leaving a blood trail all the way up his shoulders. "Game set!" Sora playfully pushed Stance backwards; his body faded to a dull gray when he landed on the ground indicating that he was dead, much like Kaochin. "Sora! You're going to pay for that!" I screamed. "You sound angry? You wouldn't hurt an old friend, would you?" Sora laughed. "Hunter's Bane!" I pulled out a magical scroll and cast the magic spell contained in it. "That's not exactly fair…" Sora laughed as the spell took effect on his character. "Like you would know anything about fair? I'm not holding back now! Let's see just how low I can lower your stats!" I smirked and reached for another magical scroll. "Warrior's Bane! Knight's Bane! Hermit's Bane! Beast's Bane! Wizard's Bane!" I used one scroll after another, and when I was finished his magical attack, defense, and accuracy was lowered. His magical attack, defense, and accuracy also took a heavy drop as well. "You've always relied on those cheap scrolls" Sora laughed. "And you've always relied on your high level, and cheap tactics. Well it won't work on me!" I retorted. I reached into my inventory and pulled out a small container of oil. "Not done yet?" Sora laughed. "Almost" I smirked. I popped the cork off the bottle and poured the contents over my body, drenching myself in the searing hot oil. "Ap Vakz!" I cast a spell that would increase my fire elemental skills. The spell reacted with the oil on my body, and combusted causing my body to erupt in flames. "Come on you brat! It's time I teach you a lesson in humility!

I used the long reach of my halberd to my advantage; I kept him at as far away from me as I could. "You've gotten a lot faster" Sora laughed. "And you've gotten slower!" I smashed my halberd into his blades, and quickly spun it over my head and attacked him on the other side of his body. "But it's all pointless in the end, you'll just end up dying" Sora laughed. I forced him to parry one of my attacks then took to the offensive. I thrust my long halberd forward; Sora easily jumped upwards and landed skillfully on the blade of my weapon. "Now this seems to be familiar" Sora laughed. "MeVak Don!" I held out my free hand and let lose a spell. "Boing!" Sora laughed and jumped high into the air. "Got you!" I used my halberd to vault up into the air. "Vak Doom!" I smashed by halberd into the left side of his waist, then followed up by slicing into his right leg; finally I held my weapon sideways and used the blunt of my blade to smash him back to the ground below. "You ready to give up?" I smirked. "Nope…" Sora laughed. "Potion!" Sora sang while healing himself with an item. "It was an impressive display but nothing fantastic… Is that all you can do? It's been a real long time since we've last fought, I was expecting something more" Sora sighed. _Yeah… Now's the perfect time…_ "Well I do have a brand new attack, one you've never seen before…" I bluffed. "Is it interesting?" Sora asked. "Sure is. It'll knock your head off, here check it out!" I held out my hand. "Rip Maen!" I cast a healing spell that revived a dead player. "Hm? That's it? Reviving your friends?" Sora giggled. "Oh? And you're running away?" Sora noticed I was now hightailing it towards the exit. "I just don't want to get in the way" I turned around and leaned against my halberd. "In the way?" Sora cocked his head and shot me a confused glare.

"Gi Rai Break!" Kaochin's shrieking voice echoed around the small area we were located in. Sora barely caught glimpse of the enraged Kaochin, but was able to jump over her attack. "Not very nice!" Sora shouted as he reached the height of his jump. "Try this on for size then!" Kaochin smiled sadistically. She had already changed her equipment, and was wearing the blue dress she had worn when she defeated Stance and I. "Die!" Kaochin wasted no time and throwing her large axe through the air and straight at Sora. "Ranged attack?" Sora frantically waved his body around and was able to dodge the axe despite the fact he was in the air. "Ta-da!" Sora landed with a deep bow. "A shame you threw your weapon away like that. Ah… But I see you changed outfits! I'll get to stain that one in your crimson blood too! He-he…" the blades on Sora's hands burst from their sheaths. "And… Die!" Sora shot forward and thrust his right hand out towards Kaochin. Kaochin had no weapon and thus no way to defend herself, the best defense she could manage was to block his attacks with her open palm. Sora thrust his right hand forward and his blade impaled Kaochin's palm. "I got you" Sora mused as he thrust his other hand towards Kaochin. Like before she stopped the blade by sacrificing her palm. "Actually…" Kaochin muttered as her impaled hands clamped down on Sora's. "I think I've got you" Kaochin laughed. "Oh?" Sora looked down at his hands with a sly smile. "Let me just…" Sora tried to retract his blade from Kaochin's palm, but she held it firmly in place. "Oh no…" Kaochin laughed. "You're the one who wanted to play, so how about we dance?" Kaochin's face lit up with her all too familiar twisted smile. "Pha Rai Kruz" Huge bolts of blue lighting suddenly burst from her hands and engulfed not only Sora, but the entire area. It was the first time I've ever seen Sora outright bested, and probably the first time I've ever heard his character scream like that. When her incredible attack finished she opened her hands and Sora fell to the ground shaking violently. "That looked like it hurt" Kaochin laughed and kicked Sora clear across the room. "Ughhh… This is getting boring…" Sora's happy demeanor from earlier was gone as he glared at Kaochin. "It's only getting boring because you have no chance of winning" Sora was so easy to read. "You love hunting down players weaker than you, but hate it when someone is able to put up a fight, man you're really disgusting you know that?" I picked up my halberd and prepared to finish him off. "Sorry folks, but this isn't my scene" Sora yawned, and leapt over me towards the exit. "I'm looking for a certain Wavemaster, sorry old friend but our game will have to wait" Sora laughed and ran away. "What are you waiting for, aren't you going to go after him?" Kaochin asked. "No, Stance comes first. We need to revive him" I felt horrible for allowing him to actually die, not only that I just sat there and ignored him. "Idiot! I'll take care of Stance! He's my servant anyway! Go get your revenge!" Kaochin shouted. "I weakened him enough so you could have the pleasure of killing him yourself. Now stop standing around, go after him!" Kaochin shouted before kneeling down next to Stance. "Heh… I understand Kaochin; take good care of him alright?" I tossed a wink her way and bolted out after Sora.

"She's not such a bad person after all…" I muttered as I emerged into the forest. "Sora! Come out and finished what you've started!" the players around me began to stare and whisper as I shouted. "Hey! Did you say Sora?" a random blademaster ran up to me. "Yeah, I did. You seen him?" I asked. "That stupid bastard killed off my friend last week, and my girlfriend a week before that! Hell I'll help you look" he nodded and drew his blade. "Wait… Sora… The player killer?" A fellow long arm walked over to our conversation. "I hate him! He's been harassing me in my friends for a while now!" she grunted. "Count me in!" she nodded. "I've read about him on the forums! He's here? Let's take him down!" A twinblade joined in. This kept going and before long more than a dozen players joined the hunt for the hated player killer. "Alright guys! Sora's still weak, and I doubt he's left the area! Let's spread out and find him, alright! Let's show him that we don't take kindly to his mischief, alright!?" I held up my halberd and cheered. The group of players that was formed in just seconds rallied together in one loud cheer. "Let's get him!" I let lose one last cheer and the group spread out into the vast forest to search for Sora, who I was beginning to think quite was the most hated player in all of The World.

"It's only a matter of time…" From what I could gather he had to be hiding in the northern parts of the forest, as the southern part had been completely searched by the mass of players. "Nothing like seeing players coming together like this… It's like I told Stance, we can look out for ourselves!" I couldn't help but smile. "Hey…" I suddenly came across a pale blue hut, much like the yellow one I was just in. "Could he…" I wondered aloud. "It's worth a shot!" I prepared to attack and entered the stone building.

"Humph! How boring" Sora was standing in front of me, looking into the room, he didn't seem at all amused, but he was preoccupied, and it gave me an opportunity. I charged forward and tackled Sora from behind, throwing both of us deeper into the building. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Sora was probably annoyed by my presence. "You're not getting off that easy!" I pressed the hilt of my halberd against his neck. "What's going on?" I heard a player cry out. "Their fighting in the middle of an event like this?!" I heard a female shout. "Don't get involved! Get Tsukasa out of here!" a male player ran past me towards his comrades. "Wait… Tsukasa?" I softened my grip and looked towards the exit. Sure enough; there was the Wavemaster at the center of all of this, If there was a solution, he probably had it. "Wait! Tsukas-" my cry was interrupted by Sora's punch to my gut. "Hey now, you came here looking for me, right?" Sora laughed and pushed me off of him. "Darn… Tsukasa!" I ran towards the exit only to be cut off by Sora. "Get out of my way Sora. I don't have time for these stupid games!" I shouted. "Hm… I like these stupid games" Sora laughed. "But… Tsukasa is mine…" Sora dropped his playful attitude and got serious. "What do you know about Tsukasa?" I asked. "He's an interesting person, and interesting things happen around him" Sora answered. "That's it?" I asked in disbelief. "What other reason is there?" Sora asked. "You've got the mentality of a child, and the attitude to boot" I snapped. "Your parents must not have disciplined you enough. Looks like I'll have to do their job for them, and beat some sense into you" I readied my halberd and took a combat position. "Trying to mentor me again? Teaching isn't one of your strong points" Sora added. "Humph! We all make mistakes" I retorted. "Well… Welcome to the school of hard knocks, you'll be learning the hard way!" I shouted and ran forward. I held my halberd outward, in an attempt to impale Sora on it. "Whoop!" Sora jumped up into the air as I had predicted, what he didn't bother to realize is he did so in a very narrow hallway. I flipped my halberd around in my hands, and ran underneath him. I swung my halberd over my head, and the hook on the back of my halberd pierced Sora's abdomen, and held him firmly in place. "Out you go!" I held my halberd above my head and dashed out of the stone building, bringing Sora with me. I smashed my halberd into the ground, crushing Sora underneath it. "You can't beat me" Sora still smiled despite the wound in his stomach. "You know, of all the players I know, you're the most predictable. No matter what you have one way of doing things, I knew you'd jump, you always do. It's pretty easy to play an idiot like you" I chuckled. "Even still, you can't beat me. My level far surpasses your own, even if you can get lucky, and hit me a few times… My skill far surpasses your dumb luck" Sora laughed and rolled backwards to his feet. "You call sneaking up behind players half your level and killing them without giving them a chance to attack "skill?" I asked. "Or perhaps you're talking about your repetitive easy to read fighting style?" I laughed. "Maybe you just have a weakness against us Long Arms?" I suggested. "Humph! You're got a big mouth" Sora prepared to attack. "And you've got a big ego" I countered. "Of course it's not match when compared to mine" I smirked. "Hey… You hear that?" I suddenly stopped when I heard the shouting of players nearing. "That's my dumb luck coming to get you…" I chuckled and returned to my combat stance. "You're so annoying!" Sora ran forward, but all I had to do was step aside. His attack passed right by me. "Got you!" Sora reacted fast and thrust both of his hands forward. I blocked with the hilt of my halberd, his two blades became lodged between the wooden hilt of my blade. "Whoa!" I gasped. "Aren't I lucky?" I smirked and violently jerked my halberd left and right causing Sora to lose his balance, and fall to the ground.

"There he is! Let's get him!" the group I formed to hunt Sora finally arrived, and they were ready to attack.

"Sora… You know… I've come to realize something about you…" I looked down at the childish twin blade. "A long time ago I tried to be your friend, but you made the decision to stab me in the back" I recalled the time I first met Sora. "I've gone out of my way to avoid you, but from what I can gather you just keep making enemies" I sighed. "You keep betraying people, and you keep making people angry, and with no one here to help you… One day you're going to mess with the wrong person and you're going to end up in some serious trouble" I explained. "I really hope one day you realize how stupid you've been acting. You're going to land yourself in some really hot water" I looked around at the approaching players. "Humph, this is what I'm talking about. Well…" I stretched my arms, and dislodged my halberd from his blades. "No sense in me talking, best if you just experience it for yourself I suppose. Some people just don't want to be helped" I shrugged. "You're still so boring" Sora just laughed. "The Hanged Man!" I reached into my bag of scrolls and used one to paralyze him. "You reap what you sow… And you can bet we'll speak again, after all; my friend is very much interested in finding Tsukasa. So look forward to our next meeting" I gave Sora a polite smile, and left him to his fate at the hands of the players he wronged.

"Phew… I really hate dealing with him…" I dusted myself off, and yawned. "He knows Tsukasa… But just how much does he actually know? It looks like Stance and I have our lead… Speaking of… I Wonder how Stance is doing… I did just leave him there… I'll PM Kaochin" I nodded and began typing my message to Kaochin.

**DashHey, Kaochin! I took care of Sora; of course he probably would have beat me if you didn't work your magic on him, thanks for that. How's Stance doing? You get him revived?**

**Kaochin So that's Sora? Ha! I read so much about him on the boards, I was actually expecting a fight. You two seemed to know each other? You idiots meet before?**

**DashWhen he first started playing… I think… There really is no telling if he was actually telling me the truth or not… Anyway, he was always complaining about how boring The World was, so I helped him find something to entertain him. Turns out he enjoyed killing off other players. Not my cup of tea… But I encouraged it, I mean; Player Killers are just players trying to have fun. Yeah sometimes it gets in the way of other people's fun, but then you get those players who defend others, you know? Like a big circle or something. Anyway, I told him that Player Killing isn't all that bad, and if he finds it fun he should continue, that's what games are for, ya know? Then within the next week I come to find out he's already light-years ahead of me in terms of level, and he didn't want anything to do with me; said I was too boring to hang out with. **

**DashOf course I had no idea that he would gain so much fame, and become one of the most wanted players in all of The World. He's caused problems for a lot of people, no doubt there. Player Killers have their place… But there is a limit, and Sora has crossed that limit. Heck, I don't even think other PKers like him.**

**DashHe's pretty predictable, and I normally avoid him because the first thing he does when he sees me is pick a fight, and unfortunately nine times out of ten I end up losing simply because he is a higher level than me, and can take more punishment. I don't get angry with The World often, but when I'm around Sora, I really start to hate it, so I decided it was best for me to just avoid him.**

**DashGood thing you were there to weaken him. I know from personal experience, that he doesn't have any spells to heal himself, he's all decked out for offense, and he's pretty dense, so he forgets to buy potions too. Probably wasn't expecting to run into someone like you, guess I was lucky in that regard. But Just thinking about what I said to him back then… It feels like I've created a monster… **

**Kaochin Good going**

**DashYeah, thanks.**

**DashBut what about Stance? He is alright, isn't he? He was in our party so he didn't actually die; you were able to revive him, right?**

**KaochinYeah. Although he's acting a bit strange, going through great lengths to express pain I guess, kind of amusing actually.**

**DashYeah… That's Stance alright. He's all about making you happy.**

"I wish she could see me roll my eyes" I sighed deeply.

**KaochinThe event was shut down shortly after you left, seems like someone else already cleared it. Stance and I are going to go to a dungeon, alone that is. So I'm finished talking with you.**

**DashAlways the charmer… That's cool I guess… Take good care of him… Thanks for today too, even if it was a bit hectic. Guess I'll see you around.**

"Well Stance is in good hands… Well…" I stopped as I pondered about what exactly I just said. "Stance is in strong hands" I nodded to myself. "Not much I can do to intervene… After all if Stance truly wanted Kaochin to leave him alone he could use the guardian…" I pondered aloud. "Sheesh and I can't forget about his request… He gets lonely huh?" I chuckled. "Crud, I never asked him where he and my guild mates should meet up! Hanging out will be a problem if they can't find each other…" I sighed. "I wonder if I can flash mail him. Would he receive it?" I asked myself. "Worth a shot" I shrugged.

**DashStance? You see this? Well… Uh… Hear this? Probably not… I just wanted to know where you'd be hanging out later, so you'd have someone to hang out with.**

**StanceThe cathedral… Now be quiet, doing this gives me a such a headache**

"A reply? Ha! A headache huh? I wonder how he receives private messages let alone sends his own?" I laughed. "Well that wraps up today's adventures, just need to check in with Royal Flush" I yawned.

**DashYo, Spade! You get any useful information?**

**SpadeNope, just redundant bull-crap. Everyone is so interested in Tsukasa, but no one knows a thing about them!**

**DashYeah, but listen! Stance and I found a lead if you can believe that; a PKer by the name of Sora, I think he actually knows Tsukasa, or the two have met before… Whatever it doesn't really matter, he's our only lead so we need to track him down and force the information out of him**

**SpadeForce? What happened to diplomacy?**

**DashNot possible with Sora, in fact you're all girls, it might be better to stay away from Sora, and let us men handle it**

**Spade What is that supposed to mean!?**

**DashNothing! He just makes it a priority to go after cute girls!**

**SpadeCute girls huh?**

**DashThat's Royal Flush**

**SpadeSure is… Sheesh you're such a basket case… Well what do you want us to do?**

**DashNothing right now, just have one of the girls meet Stance at Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, you know the place right? The cathedral.**

**SpadeWhat time?**

**Dash Hang on…**

"Christ! It's late! Three A.M!?" I freaked out when I saw the time.

**DashFive hours, maybe four. It's not like he'll be going anywhere, as mean as that sounds… Look it's real late, I've got to get to bed or I won't be able to stay awake during the classes I need too, tell the girls good night for me, I'll see you tomorrow!**

**SpadeYou're fault for staying up late, good night**

I hurriedly shut down my terminal and jumped into bed.

"I've got to give this a rest… It's not good for my body…" I sighed as I tried to get comfortable.

"But… Just how am I supposed to rest after all that's happened today?" I sighed to myself as I closed my eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

_Been forever since I updated the story. Reality is a pain isn't it? Getting the show back on the road. Chapter ends on a cliff hanger, everyone loves those right? And it probably raises a good amount of questions, it'll be explained in time._

**.Hack****//**** Vision**

Chapter 12: Entanglement

Perspective: Stance

"_Nee-Chan… When is mom coming back?" I stared down at my little sister as she asked me a horrible question. "She isn't coming back…" I couldn't bare to look at her when I answered. "Why not?" she asked. _

"_Because… Because I…"_

"_Because you brought that damn computer into this house! It's your fault! You killed her!" the man holding me by my collar constantly slammed his fist into my face. "I'm sorry…" I fell limp allowed him to continue his abuse. Agreeing with my father only angered him more, and that kept his attention on me, and not my little sister. "Look at me damnit!" he grabbed my face and forced me to look into his eyes. "A little bitch, just like your sister" he threw me to the ground and went back to his regular routine of drinking._

_I coughed and stirred a little bit as my little sister slept peacefully upstairs. This was all I could do to help her… To maintain the façade of a loving family during the day…_

_This was my punishment for allowing my mother to die…_

_I failed as a daughter… But I will not fail as a sister…_

…

"Hey! Wake up!" "What?!" I glared up at the female violently shaking me. "Oh! You're awake huh? Well it's about time" Spade brushed her red hair aside. "You get some good rest?" she asked. "No… Bad memories about my life in reality seem to be cropping up in my dreams…" I sighed and straightened out my stiff back. "Not to healthy to sleep on hard wood like that" Spade was probably talking about the wooden bench I was sleeping on. "I don't have to worry about my health; as I can easily fix it with a mere potion or spell" I sighed and looked around the cathedral I had fallen asleep in. "Hm, I guess you could look at it that way…" Spade might not be comfortable speaking Japanese, as I had to speak English just to hold a conversation with her. "How is your Japanese going?" I asked. "Good… I guess…" Spade admitted. "You are not going to speak it?" I asked. "Ah… No! I probably sound stupid anyway!" Spade shouted. "I could care less how you sound, it's just more polite to speak Japanese, considering the nature of this server" I sighed. "That being said, English is fine. I don't have many chances to actually speak it" I admitted. "At least I think… I do not really remember…" I sighed. "You will have to forgive me… I am not much a morning person… If it is indeed morning for you…" I sighed and stood up. "Hm… I imagined you as the type who wakes up the moment his clock strikes seven" Spade laughed. "I… am…?" I stopped when I realized the blatant contradiction I was making. "Umm…?" Spade curiously looked at me. "It doesn't really matter… Please excuse me" I moved past Spade and made my way for the exit. "Where are you going?" Spade asked. "It's selfish but… I think I'll go out by myself for awhile" I responded. "But weren't you the one talking about how lonely you got?" Spade sighed. "As I said, it is selfish, but I've got some things I want to check on" I answered. "Humph… So long as you acknowledge how selfish you're being…" Spade sighed. "Yeah… We will do something later; I will make this up to you. After all you are wasting your kindness on me" I sighed. "Humph, I'll hold you too it then" Spade sighed. "Anything you want me to do while you're off doing whatever it is you plan to do?" Spade asked. "Check around for a player. A green haired twin blade by the name of Sora" I responded. "Right, Sora. Will do, I'll send ya' a flash mail if I find anything" Spade nodded. "Thanks Spade" I nodded and left the cathedral.

"Just what's gotten into me…?" Thinking to myself was starting to annoy me, so I began thinking aloud. "I was the one who wanted someone with me after all" I sighed and made my way down the back alleys of Mac Anu. "Excuse me!" A brown haired female ran up to me and grabbed my hand. "What? Do you need something?" I tried to pull my hand away, but she merely tightened her grip. "Today's your luck day mister! You're today's winner!" she loudly declared. "I find that hard to believe. Let go of me" I sighed and pushed the female aside. "Wait, please! I'm here to give this to you!" the female reached behind her and held out a large brown book. "For winning our power up campaign! Here you go!" she handed me the book with a large smile. "I never entered such a contest" I moved the book back towards her. "All players are automatically entered upon registration to The World, so please except your reward!" she happily moved the book back towards me. "Fine, I'll take it" I sighed and grabbed the book from her. "What exactly does this thing do?" I asked. "It's a marvelous item! It increases your strength tenfold! You're so lucky!" she explained. "Go ahead and use it!" she cheered. "Alright" I opened the book and gave it a good glance. The pages were blank so I couldn't read it, I tried flipping through it but no matter what I never reached the end, the pages were endless. _Maybe if I flip it?_ I flipped the book upside down and tried looking at it once more. "Uhh… What are you doing?" the female looked up at me and sighed. "Using it" I shrugged. "But nothing's happening" she studied me carefully. "Guess not" I shrugged once more. "How embarrassing! A faulty item! We'll have to trade that for a working one here soon!" she jumped back and declared. "Don't worry, we'll be in touch!" she proudly cheered and then ran away, not bothering to take this useless book with her. "What am I supposed to do with this?" I sighed and holstered the book as best I could on my belt. "Entered upon registration to The World…?" I repeated the words she said aloud. "Then could she be related to the system administrators…?" I wondered.

"Ah! Excuse me! Are you Stance?!" I heard a female shout behind me. "What now…?" I turned to face the source of the voice. "Ah! It is you! Thank goodness!" the small female ran forward, holding onto her glasses as she ran. "You remember me right? I'm Alph!" she was speaking very fast and I was having trouble understanding her. "Right, I remember you. You're a friend of the player named Carl. We got separated when we last played together… How have you been since?" I asked. "Bad, real bad! I need your help, please say yes!" she grabbed my hand and shook it up and down. "With what? Hey, slow down and tell me what happened" I moved my hand away and stopped her from running around. "It's Carl! She's in trouble!" Alph shouted. "What kind of trouble?" I asked. "She went out to meet a friend of hers… A real bad one! Like a hacker or something!" Alph explained. "Hacker?" I asked. "I don't really know why, but if she's with a hacker she's gonna have her account suspended if the knights catch her!" Alph cried out. "That's the risk you take when you hang out with those kinds of people" I explained. _Not that I have any room to speak…_ "But… Carl isn't like that!" Alph cried out. "She's my best friend, and I don't want her to be grouped in with those idiots!" Alph screamed. "If you don't want her to be grouped in with hackers she should avoid being around them. It's a simple solution to a simple problem. "What…?" Alph looked up at me in shock. "Hey you big jerk! Just because she hangs out with hackers doesn't make her one herself!" Alph argued. "It's unfair to think that way! She's been playing for a long time! And is higher level than most of the people I know! She's my best friend and if you won't help her I will!" Alph declared. "Don't be foolish, if you get in the crimson knights way you'll end up like Carl. They'll report you both to the system administration as hackers" I grunted. _Carl is an avid PKer…She might now where to find Sora… And if I can get her out of this mess, I might be able to convince her into helping me…_"Alright… Listen to me; I will help her" I nodded and looked down to the fidgeting Alph. "Can you take me to the area she's at?" I asked. "Yeah! Let's go!" Alph grabbed my hand and drug me out of the alley and towards the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu.

The area she took me too was dark, but only because it was night. It was nothing more than a basic grassland, with a few stone towers littered around the area, and one massive tower in the center that probably served as the field's dungeon. "Alright… I'll take care of things from here on out. You get out of here" I commanded Alph to leave the area. "But I want to help" she countered. "No, I came to save Carl, and the last thing I need is having you get captured. It defeats the purpose of coming here in the first place" I shook my head. "But… You're really going to fight the Crimson Knights alone?" Alph asked worriedly. "Isn't that what you wanted?" I sighed. "Besides… I still have to take revenge for what they did to me… Kicking me out…" I nodded confidently. "I don't have time to sit here and explain things to you. Get going!" I shouted and Alph obediently warped out of the area.

"I have got to move fast… If Carl gets identified by any of the knights she will become a permanent target, and saving her would just be delaying the inevitable. I have no way of knowing how many knights are in there, so I have to be careful and conserve my strength" I confirmed my objectives to myself and prepared to take action. I'll use my guardian if I have too… I can't afford for Carl to get captured… I need to locate that player Sora, and find out what I can about him. I nodded and slid my helmet back over my head. "I'll break through them!" I shouted and began my dash towards the large tower.

I ran through the opening of the dungeon and shoved my blade through an unsuspecting knight standing watch. "What the?!" two other knights who were standing in the entrance turned to face the source of the disruption. "You there! Freeze!" the knights ran up in unison as I shoved the dead knight off my blade and to the ground. "I do not have time to deal with you! Step aside!" I demanded. "Who does this guy think he is?" one of the knights asked as he moved to my flank and drew his weapon. "I don't care who he is, he's interfering with our operation… Probably here to help those hackers down below… Don't let him through!" the other knight took his position on my opposite flank. I stepped forward as they lunged at me, and I began to defend myself from their joint attack. "Keep pushing, we'll force him into a wall!" one of the two knights cheered. Their combined attacks were difficult to defend against, and I had to constantly move backwards just to avoid the second attack that followed when I deflected the first. "We've got him!" they both cheered. Just as I bumped up against the wall I moved aside, and grabbed hold of a nearby statue. They both followed me; as I had hoped, and I effortlessly shoved the statue over, causing it to drop on one of the knights below. "Wha! Commander!" the other knight looked at his injured comrade and shouted worriedly. I moved forward and slammed my armored fist into his gut causing him to lurch forward in pain. "Gah!" his character cried out. "Me Ani Zot!" I shoved my hand straight into his face and let lose a powerful spell that sent him flying backwards into a nearby wall. I followed his movements and swung my sword at his chest as he slammed against the wall, my attack stole the last bit of health he had and his character fell over dead. "Die!" the other knight recovered and attacked me from behind, his attack cut through my armor, and caused me to stumble backwards. "Now I've got you!" he cried out and repeated the same attack as before. I parried his sword with my own and grabbed hold of his breastplate he was wearing. I lifted him high into the air before slamming him down on the statue below; a horrific crack echoed the area the moment he landed on the statue. "It was just two… And I am already winded…" I drew in deep breaths and glared at the two knights I had defeated. "I cannot back down now…" I nodded and ran deeper into the dungeon.

"Hey, who are you!?" two more knights were blocking my path deeper into the dungeon. "Aurora Gaze! Answer my call and come forth!" my shouts echoed around the narrow dungeon walls. "What the heck is an Aurora Gaze?" one of the knights turned to the other and asked. My guardian appeared and responded to my mental command. It slammed two tentacles into each knight, causing them to fall to the floor, both in game, and probably in reality as well. "This is taking too long, I have to get going!" I killed off the two disabled knights with my sword and ran deeper into the dungeon. "There's no telling how deep this dungeon is… I've got to find her, and fast" I glanced around my surroundings and studied the stone dungeon. "Damnit, which way…?"

"You there! Stay where you are!"

"Who's there!?" I grunted. The source of the voice was a lone, rather pudgy Crimson Knight, and one I faintly recognized at that. "S-Stance…" the knight gasped. "Salu…" I took several steps back when I came to realize who he was. "It was you... What are you doing here?" Salu asked. "I have no interest in talking to you, get out of here or I will kill you" I leveled my blade at his throat and threatened him. "So it's true then… Silver Knight wasn't lying" Salu sighed. "You of all people betrayed the knights. What's more here you are… Helping hackers… You make a mistake that gets you kicked from the knights, so you decide to get revenge huh?" Salu asked. "It is much more complex than that, but that is none of your concern" I withdrew my blade and moved away from Salu. "It's becoming increasing difficult to tell just who exactly is running the knights… Tell me Salu; was this an order by Silver Knight, or by Subaru?" I asked. "It was…" Salu stammered. "She probably has no idea what's going on. And since when was it your job to deal with hackers?" I asked. "We are merely doing what C.C corp. refuses to do! Someone must deal with these hackers" Salu countered. "Fighting me would only group you with those players below. Is that really what you want?" Salu asked. "You seem to be the one that has trouble being grouped with "players", you and Silver Knight both share that problem" I taunted. "Humph, you know… I do not remember much, but there is one thing in which I will never forget… And that is Crimson Knights, are nothing more than ordinary players! And they will always remain that! To think that you have some kind of say, or control in what happens in this world is incredibly foolish, and if the system administrators or Subaru won't put you in your place, then that duty falls to me!" I readied my blade. "The system administration is the reason this game has become so un-enjoyable!" Salu readied himself and countered. "Then we agree on one thing!" I charged forward and began my assault.

Despite his character's appearance, Salu was more than capable of fighting off my attacks; his style mimicking my own slow but strong way of fighting. Each time our swords met my ears were deafened by the loud metallic noise. "I never would have guessed you would outright betray the knights…" Salu's sword interlocked with my own, and we both pressed forward, trying to break through the others defense. "I have no desire to hold the power of an administrator, I should thank Subaru for throwing me out when she did!" I shoved my knee into his gut causing him to fall backwards and giving me an opening. "Me Rue Zot!" Before I could reach Salu he held out his hand and began casting a spell. "A spell…!" I couldn't stop myself in time, and I ran headfirst into his spell. The massive current of water that emerged from his hand engulfed me. It was forced backwards into the stone wall behind me.

"I've got you…" Salu noticed I was out of breath, and prepared to finish me. "Do not count me out…" I clumsily brought my sword up and defended against his attacks. Since I was only using one hand, my sword was easily swatted away by each of his attacks; I had to not only move my sword, but my entire body to defend myself. "There!" Salu shouted and shoved his sword forward. "Not likely!" I has had hoped, he fell for my act; and was putting less effort into his attacks. I slammed my sword into his own; the force knocked the blade from his hands; giving me a perfect opportunity to counter attack. I shoved him backwards and sliced into him, leaving two large cuts along his chest by my attack. He stumbled backwards, holding the large blood colored X I had carved in his chest. "I am not finished with you yet!" He must have seen it coming as he dodged my blade with relative ease, and took hold of my breastplate. "I won't go down as easily as my team did!" he declared this, and ran towards the nearest wall, slamming me into it. The moment my back met the wall my breath was forced from my body, and my body spasm with pain, causing me to drop my weapon as well. "I slammed my head forward into Salu's the force caused us both to drop to our knees.

"Darn…" Salu held his head, and clumsily stood up. "Me Ani Zot!" I let lose a dark spell of my own. "Me Rue Zot!" Salu countered with a water based one of his own. Our spells clashed together, bathing the area in an eerie purple mist. "As I had hoped…" I used the thick fog as cover and moved towards one of the corners of the room. "Stance!? Where are you hiding!?" I heard Salu shout through the fog. _My weapon… I have to find my sword…_ I scanned the floor in front of me for my weapon, and slowly began to creep around the area. "Hiding, like the dog you are… Very well then…" I heard Salu as I moved silently through the fog. "Stance! I've found your weapon, along with mine!" Salu declared. The sound of metal scraping against stone echoed the room. "I have both weapons, so I will give you a chance to surrender to me!" he announced. "The only thing that has changed about you is your arrogance. I am sorry, but I cannot surrender to you" I kept moving as I spoke so Salu couldn't pin point my location. "Then I will have to defeat you" I kept listening for his exact location. "Stance… Just… Tell me why?" Salu demanded. "Why…?" I kept moving when I spoke, unlike Salu who seemed to be standing still. "Why Lady Subaru removed you from the knights, why you betrayed the knights, why you took up arms against Silver Knight?" I finally pinpointed him, and I could faintly make out the outline of his character in the fog. "I don't know" I moved around him, towards the back of his character. "You don't know?" Salu grunted in anger. I snuck up behind him, and prepared to attack.

"Got you!" he shouted suddenly spun around and swung my own blade at me. I brought my left hand up and easily caught the blade as it neared. "What the!?" he cried out. "How fortunate" I chuckled. "But… How?" Salu hesitantly asked. "Using my own element against me? What made you think that would work? I am outfitted with nothing but dark elemental armor, even if you landed a hit, it would hardly damage me" I explained. "Why you…!" he swung his own sword which was in his other hand, but I slammed my elbow into his face, and threw him down to the ground below. He wasted no time, and rolled away from me and disappeared into the mist. "After you just got finished calling me a dog… Your hypocrisy knows no bounds. You say you want to help The World, but all you really desire is power, you are no different than Silver Knight" I laughed to myself. "You all are… So selfish" I chuckled to myself. "It might be selfish, but it is for the greater good of this world!" Salu countered. "Humph, I am sure Silver Knight said the same thing… Mindless drone" I spat. "I'll show you!" Salu came charging through the mist. He jumped high into the air, and began his assault. I jumped backwards into the mist and used it as cover. "You're not running away!" Salu shouted and ran after me; as I had hoped he would.

"Agghh!" He gasped out when my hand took his of his throat. "The Crimson Knights were formed by mere players that simply wished to help those around them" I tightened my grip and lifted him off the ground. "What Silver Knight is doing is nothing more than a colossal error in judgment, and the end result will not only whipe her ambition from the face of this world, but yours as well. Support him if you wish, but I have more important things to worry about than the internal affairs of a guild I no longer belong to" his neck snapped under my grip, and I tossed his dead body aside. "Perhaps Crim was on to something when he chose to quit the Crimson Knights…" I muttered to myself. "I really have to stop involving myself with their affairs…" I grunted and trekked deeper into the dungeon.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Who are you?" A hooded Wavemaster stepped out from the shadows and shouted once I entered the Gott Statue room. "Thanks a bunch man, I thought those idiots hard me for sure?" he laughed. "Hey! You are alone? Where is Carl?" I asked. "Carl?" the Wavemaster clad in black robes repeated. "Yes damnit! Where is she!" I grabbed the small Wavemaster by the collar and lifted him into the air. "A Heavy Axmen, white hair! Where is she!?" I demanded. "Oh! Carl! S-she left when the knights arrived" the Wavemaster stuttered. "Left!?"I screamed. "What do you mean "left" she is not here!?" I demanded. "Well… Yeah" the Wavemaster nodded. "You mean to tell me I stopped the knights from doing something right!?" I threw the Wavemaster to the ground and screamed in anger. "Well sheesh, if I would have known you'd be like this…" the Wavemaster sighed. _I can't believe it…! All of that work, and for what? This!?I risk my life, and potentially my freedom for this!?_ "What about you? Do you know Sora?" I asked. "Think about what you are going to say, because I promise you I am in no mood for games" I threatened. "If I even think for one second your lying to me, you will wish the Crimson Knights had caught you, because I swear to you I will do things that they could not even hope to do" I pushed the small boy to the floor and threatened him. "What? Hey wait a minute… What could you hope to do to me? Ha! Nothing that's what!" he stood up and laughed at me. "See this staff here? Do you have any idea just what it can do?" the hacker smirked and waved his staff around. "Look there" I pointed behind me towards my guardian. "W-wh… What is that?" he fell backwards and asked. "It puts us both on the same level, let me demonstrate. Aurora, if you please" I stepped aside and my guardian flew forward and smacked him across the face with one of its tentacles. "Ahh!" the hacker recoiled in fear, and ran away from the guardian. "That… Hurt! It really hurt!" he cried out. "Sora, the player killer! Surely someone like you has met him once before, am I right?" I shouted. "Uh… Yeah… Sora… I met the guy…" he timidly admitted. "How can I find him!?" I demanded. "Find him…? Ha! That's easy!" he laughed. "You just need to find a pretty…" he suddenly burst in a flash of blue light.

"Damnit!" I covered my eyes as the light blinded me. "Now what…" I fell back against the wall, and rubbed my aching eyes. "Sometimes these bugs are so small; they manage to slip past us. But then again, it's really just the big ones that are annoying. Wouldn't you agree? Stance?" Someone spoke to me, but because of that light I couldn't tell who or what was. "Who are you" I shook the dizziness from my head and stood to face the unknown man. "You can call me Rainmaker. I am not here to help you, in fact it's the exact opposite; you are going to help me" the man held no weapon, and wore rather elegant black robes. "Help you? I do not know what makes you think that, but that is not my intention" I crossed my arms. "Maybe not, but it will be soon enough" the man who called himself Rainmaker laughed. "What makes you say that?" I asked. "You're little friend: Dash, was it? His harem of foreigners, all of that will come to an end. In fact I will personally ban every single person you have ever come in contact with from this server, and others! It will be like you never existed!" Rainmaker threatened. "Unless… You do some favors for me" he smirked. "Ban them? Just who are you?" I asked. "Rainmaker, I told you already, pay attention" he snapped. "I obviously work for C.C corp. It doesn't matter what department, or what I do, the only thing you're tiny little brain has to worry about is doing exactly what I say. You do that, and we won't have any problems" he smiled. "You screw with me and you're gone, which goes for all your little friends too. Got it?" he asked. "C.C corp.? Just what do you want with me?" I asked. "We've got three problems. Two of those three are fully aware of what's going on, and causing a lot of trouble for the company. The other doesn't have a damn clue about anything, so we're going to use that problem to our advantage, and have him deal with some "minor" company issues" he explained. "In other words, you are going to have me do your job" I grunted. "No. I am going to have you, do the work I think is so dangerous for me, or my colleges" he explained. "You are going to send me to fight off some PKer, or ban some hacker? You are joking right?" I laughed. "Stop playing dumb kid. So far four people have fallen into comas by playing this game" he explained. "Tsukasa and myself… That means the other two… Employees of C.C corp. Right?" I asked. "Good to see your not entirely stupid" Rainmaker commented. "It figures the only reason you would take action is if it directly concerned you. Good to see you have finally chosen to acknowledge this problem" I grunted. "What problem? Officially you don't exist. You're nothing; you can't be traced or found in reality. You're nothing more than a ghost, and that is why I need you" he explained. "You're going to do exactly as I say, and for each failure, you can say goodbye to one of your friends. It'll be a lonely time without them I'm sure" Rainmaker smirked. "And another thing, what were you thinking taking an item from a stranger?" the book I had previously received suddenly appeared in his hands. "Those idiots down at debugging really want you deleted it seems…" He laughed. "But I can't have that!" he suddenly shouted. "Conflict in the company?" my smirk thankfully was hidden by my helmet. "Each department has different goals; sadly it looks like I don't have the debugging team's support. How unfortunate… For you that is" he chuckled. "What would they want with me?" I asked. "Their paid to remove any irregularities from the system, you're an Irregularity, so naturally they want to delete you. It's quite simple. If I were you I'd avoid back alleys, and areas players don't frequent" he suggested. "Just wait a second! What the hell are you going on about?!" I shouted. "Just what do you want me to do!" I screamed. "Oh dear… If you will excuse me, I believe it is time for my lunch break" Rainmaker smiled and suddenly disappeared from the area. "Great!" I punched a nearby wall. "I still do not have a damn clue as to what is going on! And now this man shows up!" I slammed my other fist into the wall.

…

"Excuse me? Mister Stance I presume?" the moment I left the dungeon I was greeted by another player. "And who are?" I sighed, knowing what he was going to say. "You met my superior. I am here to provide you with some information" this man seemed more polite and dressed less formal than his counterpart. His hair was white, and it was accompanied by a gruff beard, it complemented his decorative red jacket well. "You can call me Reiko" he extended his hand towards mine, but I had no desire to even speak with him. "I have nothing to say to the likes of you" I spat. "I can understand your anger… But I am here to inform you of what needs to be done, and warn you of the dangers you will face" the man who called himself Reiko explained. "If you'll come this way, I can show you first hand" he motioned for me to follow. "Right…" I sighed and followed him out into the barren field.

"The area has been locked down, so we don't need to worry about any players showing up" Reiko began. "If you would, please call that creature of yours, what we are about to do has proven dangerous to others" Reiko warned. "What exactly are you going to do?" I asked. "Just get that creature ready, please" Reiko repeated. The guardian responded to my mental commands and appeared above me as I had told it to. "There, I've summoned Aurora" I nodded. "Aurora?" Reiko asked. "It's name" I stated. "It has a name?" he asked. "Mine does" I grunted. "Right…" Reiko nodded. "Due to recent string of viral outbreaks, various anomalies have begun crop up all over The World" Reiko began. "Like me?" I asked. "No. In my opinion you're just the victim of one of these anomalies. Although my superiors suggest otherwise" Reiko explained. "That being said, you're still carrying the virus around in your character, much like that Wavemaster" Reiko continued. "Tsukasa? We are carrying a virus? How is that possible? I thought Altimit was the most secure operating system available, they claim that no virus is capable of propagating through their network" I crossed my arms and asked.

"The answers real simple, Stance" a familiar voice spoke up from behind.

"The virus isn't spreading through Altimit's computers" Kasey casually strolled up beside me and began explaining. "Creating a virus this complex is a feat all on its own, but sneaking it into an online game, especially one under constant surveillance like this one is impossible, there is no way to do it. I can't create any type of data, only alter it; so I know for a fact that this virus was not made by some hacker with a god complex" Kasey sighed and leaned against me.

"That being the case…" that all too familiar cocky voice emerged from behind me.

"You can't discount C.C corps's involvement in the whole thing" Dash neared in his typical manner and took his position on my right flank. "I don't think it was an inside job, because there's no way it would go unnoticed by the fat-boys at the top" Dash smirked. "So it's safe to assume this virus was either here all along… Or C.C corp. itself allowed it to be uploaded, and seeing as how it's been nothing but a pain, I'm leaning toward the "been here from the start" theory" Dash shouldered his halberd and placed his arm on my shoulder.

"Friends of yours…?" Reiko worriedly studied the two newcomers. "These two?" I chuckled to myself. "These are my partners" I declared. "That's right!" Kasey threw herself above me, and landed on my armored shoulder. "So, you're gonna force Stance to do your dirty work hm?" Kasey plopped down and sat neatly on my shoulder. "That's real low, considering you were using us to threaten him" Dash shook his head and leaned against his halberd. "Despite what the big guy thinks, he doesn't work alone" Dash nodded. "It's a package deal, three people for the price of one!" Dash smirked. "If you're going to sit there a put my character on the line, then I at least want in on it" Dash declared. "Extorting Stance like that, man you guys really are assholes" Kasey's legs tapped against my armor as she spoke. "I share that sentiment" I nodded in agreement.

"How did you get in here?" Reiko demanded. "Ha! You're as dumb as ever! I was watching the entire time" Kasey laughed. "The moment this area was locked down I knew C.C corp. would make a move against Stance, and after all we both agreed to a partnership, so I wasn't about to let you take something else away from me" Kasey smirked and used my helmet as an armrest. "But… How did you break through my protection?" Reiko gasped. "I sent a scout after Stance" Kasey pointed over at Dash. "Luckily I knew you'd try and lock the area down, because let's face it; you idiots are all the same. So I gave my scout a special program I cooked up just to break the protection in an area" Kasey boasted. "Heh, I didn't understand it all at first, so I just went along with Kasey, but after listening in on you with her, I think everything is starting to fall into place" Dash smirked. "I never thought I'd be hanging out with hackers, but hey! It looks like they are the only ones that care about what's going on in The World now" Dash shrugged. "The protection in this field is broken!?" Reiko suddenly shouted. "Tore down each wall myself" Kasey rolled her eyes. "It was more than just a barrier to keep players out! It was containing the infected creature I had moved here!" Reiko screamed. "What creature?" Dash asked. "Hey wait a second… Anyone else hear that?" Dash suddenly glanced around the area and asked. "Hear what?" Kasey asked. "That noise. It was that noise again" Dash worriedly looked around the area.

A horrific roar echoed around the dark environment and the earth began to quake as something neared.

"I think we've found our monster!" Kasey hopped of my shoulder and pointed off into the distance. "That? It looks like a floating head!" Dash laughed. "You may want to look closer…" I realized that it was simply climbing a hill; as the rest of its body soon came into view. "Ha! Still it's not that big" Dash shrugged. "It's still coming…" Kasey worriedly stepped back away from the creature. "I think you're misjudging the size of that creature…" I took Kasey's example and soon moved backwards when I realized the size of the monster before us. "Alright… So it's big…" Dash reluctantly followed our example. "Way big! What the heck!? Why would you make a monster like that!?" Dash shouted. "It was for an event" Reiko hurriedly explained. "What event!? Look at that thing! It'll never fit in any dungeon! Heck it barely fits in this field!" Dash shouted. "The creature was infected before the event was ever announced. We were able to capture the creature, but we could not remove the virus" Reiko explained. "So this is the result when the virus infects a monster?" Kasey asked. "No… This is the result when we tried to remove it ourselves. It isn't normally that big…" Reiko worriedly moved away from the massive approaching creature. "You tried to remove the virus, but you made it bigger?!" Dash shouted. "You guys sure are on top of things!" he screamed. "The same virus that is inside of me, created this monster?" I asked. "I can't say for certain, but our research does appear to indicate that" Reiko nodded. "That Skull Devilgon retains some of the same data your character possesses" Reiko explained. "This wouldn't have happened if you idiots hadn't put a virus in The World yourselves!" Kasey countered. "Looks like it's up to us to clean up their mess!" Dash jumped ahead of me and readied his halberd. "Ha! We're not even employees of C.C corp." Kasey laughed and followed Dash. "If at all possible… My superiors would like the creature intact" Reiko meekly suggested. "Sorry, but this monster will be permanently damaged" I drew my weapon and joined my allies.

"I guess it thinks it can intimidate us with its size" Dash pointed to the giant skeleton that was easily twenty times bigger than any of us. "The bigger they are, right?" Kasey laughed. "Think it has a weak spot?" Dash asked. "It's head?" Kasey suggested. "Works for me… But how the heck do we get up there?" Dash asked. "I'll get you up there. Kasey, I need you to distract it" I commanded. "Great! The ultimate game of tag!" Kasey giggled and ran forward towards the massive creature. "And me?" Dash asked. "You are going to fly!" I grabbed Dash's hand and took off towards the monster.

"Haha!" Kasey laughed as she jumped over the monster's attack; its arms held a massive blade at the end that reached all the way down past its legs. "It's pretty quick to be so big! I guess changing its size didn't affect its speed!" Kasey shouted. "Do not get to close! It will not require much effort to crush you with its foot!" I commanded. "Gotcha!" Kasey nodded. "So what's the plan!?" Dash asked. "There! That tree! Vault once we pass under it!" I commanded. "Alright!" Dash shouted. As we neared the tree Dash ran ahead; making sure to keep a firm grip on my hand. "Up we go!" Dash vaulted upward, and threw me forward. I grabbed hold of one of the branches and swung myself around it, throwing Dash with every ounce of my strength. "Ohhh man!!" Dash cried out as he flew through the air. "Me Ani Don!" the moment I landed on my back I aimed both of my hands at Dash used my most powerful spell on him. "Here we are! Cooked Bile!" Dash reached into his pocket and nodded. The spell slammed into him, and forced him further up into the air. "Thanks for the boost!" Dash's voice slowly faded away as he flew towards the massive creature.

"Look out!" Kasey ran up beside me and grabbed my hand. The area I was lying down at suddenly erupted as a massive hand burst from the ground, it effortlessly lifted the tree and crushed it with ease. "It's not over yet!" Kasey warned me as she drug me along the ground. The ground behind Kasey constantly erupted, giant hands emerging from each hole; the only thing stopping those hands from grabbing me was the fast and agile Kasey. "Crap!" the monster must have compensated as the ground in front of us suddenly erupted and Kasey ran right ran right atop it. The hand emerged and Kasey was throttled high into the air. Its thumb knocked me upwards, and I barely escaped its clutches. I caught myself on the way down and managed to land safely with little more than a few scrapes and bruises. "Kasey!" I ran forward and managed to catch her before she hit the ground, saving her from an untimely death. "That's what I needed… Metal breaking my fall" Kasey hopped down from my arms and held her back. "Be thankful you are alive" I sighed. "Where'd Dash go?" Kasey asked.

"Yoooooo!" a faint cry echoed around the field. "Is he…?" Kasey gasped and pointed towards the monster's head. "Inside its head!?" I cried out when I noticed Dash waving down at us from inside the empty eye socket of the massive monster. "Uhh... Look!" Kasey pointed towards the monster's left hand which was slowly moving upwards towards its own head. "Come on!" I grabbed Kasey's hand and began running towards the monster. The monster slammed the massive blade in its own head. The force snapped the monster's head from its body, and its large head began rolling down its rib cage towards the ground below.

"Dash!" I shouted as I neared the creature's head. "Oh man! Did you see that!?" Dash crawled out of the monster's eyes and laughed. "Hey, was that admin watching? I want a pair of wings for that, there's no way the way The One Sin is harder than that thing!" Dash shook his head and laughed. "Hey! How much experience points will I get for that?" Dash stole a glance at the monster's head and asked seriously. "It's not dead yet!" Reiko shouted from across the field."Not dead?" we all looked up at the massive torso before us. "What the heck is that?" Dash gasped. "Those green hexagons don't look normal…" he added. "Could it be the virus?" Kasey wondered. "It's moving! Get back!" I shoved Kasey and Dash aside as its massive foot lurched forward, slamming into me. Its foot passed over Kasey, and Dash, but I got caught between its toes, and was forced to climb atop its foot to avoid getting crushed beneath it. "Wait for us!" Kasey jumped up on the foot as it landed on the ground. "Hey! Little help here!" Dash however, was a little late, and would have fallen had he not grabbed hold of the giant's foot. "Man… I swear, I'll never step on a bug again" Dash sighed as I pulled him up onto the foot. "Hey! What about your guardian thing? Can't that like stab it or something?" Dash asked. 'Worth a shot…" I nodded. My guardian appeared above me, and attacked as I had commanded. Its tentacle pierced the monster. "Hey, it hit it!" Kasey cheered. The monster's massive blade smacked the guardian away, sending it hurling towards the ground below. "My guardian!" I shouted. "Poor thing… It gave it its best shot though…" Dash sympathetically sighed. "I don't think we'll be able to do anything while it can defend itself" Kasey shouted. "Then we'll just have to find another weak spot and hit it" Dash nodded. "Or, make it hit itself" I commented. "Even better" Dash chuckled.

"Hey… This doesn't feel good" Kasey grabbed onto the monster's ankle as it began to lift its leg high into the air. "It is going to try and hit us!" I noticed the monster rearing its arm. "That's good right? It'll snap its leg in two!" Dash grabbed onto its ankle as it was no longer possible to stand on its leg. "It will fall on top of us!" I shouted. "Then we need to get moving!" Kasey led the way, and ran across the now vertical surface the monster had created with his long leg. "Come on big guy!" Dash lifted me atop the monster's leg and I followed him across. "We are not moving faster enough! Get going!" The monster was prepared to attack, and we were only half way across its leg. "There, it's pelvis!" Kasey motioned for us to follow and jumped into its concave like pelvis. "Looks like it's forgotten about its leg" Dash sighed once all of us were standing on the monster's pelvis. "But now it's gunning for its pelvis" I pointed out the monster's new plan of attack. "That's bad" Dash sighed in anger. "No, this is great! Up there" Kasey pointed above us. "The rib cage! Safe enough for the heart and lungs, probably safe enough for us!" Kasey nodded. "Probably?" Dash worriedly asked. "We do not have time for questions, both of you up there now!" I moved under the nearest rib and crouched down. "Righto'!" Kasey jumped off my back and landed on one of the ribs. "Looks like it's my turn!" Dash followed Kasey's lead and used me to jump up into the rib cage. "Hey, what about you Stance!?" Kasey shouted. "I cannot make it up there even if I tried! Just brace yourselves for the worst!" I commanded. "The Vertebral Colum! Hold on to it Dash" Kasey shouted. "The Verte what?" Dash shouted back. "The backbone!" Kasey responded. "Oh, why didn't you just say so?" Dash ran towards the back of the rib he was on, and held onto the monster's spine. "Oh man… Here it comes!" Dash shouted. "Get down St-" Kasey's shout came to an abrupt end when the monster's blade smashed into its own spine.

Its spine splintered into countless pieces, and its body split into two massive parts. Its legs buckled, forcing the pelvis to fall down backwards, while the body fell forward, bones shattering as it slammed into the ground below. The pelvis offered some protection, but it splintered horribly compared to the ribcage Dash and Kasey were in. "Yo! Stance! You alright?" Dash came running through the mass of broken bones. "Over here" I held up my hand so they could see me among the pile of bones. "Phew… You alright?" Dash grabbed my arm and forced me up. "Yeah… Just a few broken bones" I muttered. "Ah, that's a good one" Dash laughed. "Who's joking?" I shot him a serious look. "Oh… Oh! Uhh Hang on" Dash moved me towards one of the creature's massive bones and began casting a healing spell. "Ol Reapth!" Dash chanted. Within seconds the pain in my chest and arm faded, and I slowly regained control of those respective areas. "Thanks…" I sighed in relief. "To bad real life isn't that easy…" Dash chuckled. "Phew! Well that's that!" Kasey appeared above us; sitting on a large bone.

"It's still not dead!" Reiko ruined our celebration before it even began. "How can it not be dead!? This is the ultimate form of dead! You do not get much deader than this!" Dash shouted. "He's been blown into god knows how many pieces" Dash added. "That's what the virus does! It alters its hit points! It has an infinite amount!" Reiko shouted. "Infinite?" Kasey sighed. "Infinite? That means it can't be defeated…" Dash sighed. "How stupid!" Kasey stood up and kicked the bone she was sitting on. "Hey what's going on?!" Dash reacted before anyone else. A strange looking barrier engulfed the area the monster's remains were located, before suddenly shattering like glass. "Protect… Break… Ok…?" Kasey read the oddly shaped sign floating near one of the bones. "I do not understand..." I muttered. "Your monster! Use your monster!" Reiko shouted through the massive pile of bones. "The guardian?" Dash asked. "Worth a try…" I nodded and summoned my guardian. In response to my command, an endless number of tentacles emerged from my guardian, each of them impaling a nearby bone on the field. "Well there's no chance of defending against it" Dash shrugged. A familiar yellow light flooded the area, emerging from the bones the tentacles had pierced; within a matter of seconds the light vanished, and the green hexagons that once surrounded the giant monster faded from view. "So… That does it for the virus huh?" Kasey asked. "And the monster?" Dash asked. "Dead" I pointed towards all the dull gray bones around us that were starting to fade from view. "So we did it?" Kasey jumped down from the bone she was on before it disappeared and landed on my shoulder. "Looks that way" Dash shouldered his halberd and smirked. "Beating a monster with an infinite amount of hit points" Dash chuckled. "You sound surprised" I smirked. "Ha! All in a day's work; C.C corp. really owes us huh?" Dash held out his hand, and I slammed my fist into it. "Hello?" Kasey sighed. "Oh… Almost forgot you. Heh, sorry. Not used to a third wheel" Dash moved towards my left shoulder and slapped fists with Kasey.

"Man I'm tired…" Kasey leaned against my head and yawned. "Speak for yourself…" I sighed. "We beat that thing twice; we killed an invincible monster not once, but twice!" Dash laughed. "A shame no one saw it; no one would ever believe me if I told them" Dash sighed. "People would have been like "The One What?" or "The Descendents of Who?" Dash laughed. "But hey, I did gain two levels; so I suppose it was worth it" Dash added. "Looks like your guardian got rid of the whole thing… Not a trace to be seen" Kasey glance around the area and gasped. "Its attack had no effect the first time… What changed to allow its attack to function normally?" I wondered. "I haven't got a clue about that monster, and I doubt that idiot over there could provide any insight either" Kasey pointed towards Reiko. "Well we did split it into a ridiculous amount of pieces. What could it do?" Dash asked. "When you kicked it… That strange barrier that appeared around it… And that light… Perhaps some relation?" I suggested. "I've never seen it happen before… So I don't think it's a normal reaction…" Kasey nodded. "Protect Break Ok… It certainly looked out of place. But hey it makes sense… In a way" Dash nodded. "The monster's not normal to begin with. So it makes sense it can only be beaten by an abnormal method right? But when we tried it before, nothing happened… So!" Dash slammed his fist into his open palm. "You cause an abnormal status effect! Like break its protection, and then bam! You hit it with the guardian, and voila! You're down one virus infected monster!" Dash nodded in approval. "…" Kasey and I exchanged annoyed glances. "Having him explain it really makes me feel stupid" Kasey sighed. "Tell me about it…" I added my sigh to her own. "Ha! Now that we've got that cleared up" Dash smirked.

"Not a single trace… How did you…?" Reiko made his way over to us and gasped. "You brought that thing here without expecting me to defeat it?" I grunted. "All of our methods proved unsuccessful… But you simply…" Reiko gasped. "Did your job for you" Kasey laughed. "You guys owe us" Dash added. "Is this monster the only one that has been infected with this virus?" I asked. "Sadly no… The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, we don't know how, but monsters are becoming infected randomly around our servers" Reiko admitted. "Pfft… So… A bunch of monsters players can't beat? Man you're really going to have some annoyed players on your hands" Dash sighed. "Hold on" Kasey interrupted. "It's deeper than that. C.C corp. wouldn't be worried if it were just monsters that were unbeatable" Kasey explained. "It's something else" Kasey nodded. "C.C corp. would only take action when their public image is on the line; if that's the case, then these monsters are more than just a nuisance to players. It's something else" Kasey nodded. "Hey, you don't' think those infected monsters are passing on the virus, do you?" Dash asked. "If that is indeed the case, then those monsters are putting players in the same position as Tsukasa and I!" I shouted. "You! Tell me right now! Tell me everything you can about those monsters!" I grabbed Reiko and shook him. "I will not hesitate to turn my guardian against you! If you have not yet noticed my patience has worn very thin!" I threatened. "I don't have that kind of clearance!" Reiko shouted. "And I do not have that kind of patience!" I threw him aside and summoned my guardian. "H-hold on! There's no need for that! I'll tell you what I know, but with my position it will just leave you with more questions!" Reiko hastily stated. "Well come on, you don't wanna make Stance here ask twice, huh?" Dash helped Reiko up, and I dismissed my guardian.

"They don't tell me much… I'm just an assistant after all..." Reiko brushed at his clothing and sighed. "But from what I we can gather that does seem to be the case" Reiko let out a small sigh and explained. "Well... Make it stop; delete them or whatever. This is your game" Dash let out an annoyed sigh and poked Reiko's forehead. "Yes well... It's not that simple" Reiko moved Dash's hand away and sighed. "Look buddy; those monsters are pushing some pretty serious stuff. People in reality are getting hurt... Now stop sitting around and do something about it" Dash sighed. "I haven't the faintest idea on how to deal with the situation" Reiko shrugged. "Look pal; it's a virus; work your stupid admin magic and get rid of it. Don't tell me you lack control over your own game" Dash sighed. "I'm not telling you anything because I don't know anything" Reiko grunted. "All I know is that this virus corrupts whatever data it infects; be it player or monster. It's spreading at random and we're doing our best to keep the contamination localized" Reiko explained. "You have no control over what's going on in your own networks? I've done some incompetent things... But –come on-" Dash sighed aloud. "You're keeping it localized? Where exactly?" I asked. "Anywhere it happens to crop up. Our chief concern is keeping it as far away from Root Towns as possible" Reiko explained. "Monsters don't normally show up in Root Towns" I countered. "Monsters aren't normally invincible" Kasey was quick to correct me. "Good point" I nodded. "So this virus; which by the way is more than a virus" Dash sighed. "A virus is something that spies on your web activity; or deletes emails from your inbox. A virus crashes your OS or knocks you offline. A virus does not freaking knock you out in reality; or get you stuck inside of a game!" Dash shouted. "Yes well... It is an abnormality in the system" Reiko adjusted his glasses and stated this simple fact. "So the virus that is infecting these monsters is also infected Stance?" Dash asked. "Theoretically speaking; yes" Reiko nodded. "Why didn't it make Stance have infinite hit points? Why did it trap him inside of the game?" Dash asked. "We don't know" Reiko shrugged. "You're wasting your time Dash" Kasey sighed. "Apparently" Dash sighed. "All this crap happens in their servers; they don't even know what's going on" Dash sighed.

"He was right; he knows nothing. Blaming him is pointless; he's just a corporate yes man" I sighed. "That's quite a rude thing to say" Reiko sighed. "I honestly don't care. Your superiors are black mailing me into doing their dirty work. Not only that; you seem to forget my situation..." I glared at Reiko. "It's not your life potentially at stake is it? You're paid either way" I spat out my true feelings. "A character that isn't controlled by a player is by definition an NPC" Reiko glared at me and began. "Many believe you and Tsukasa both to be nothing more than vagrants. But you both carry the same virus as the infected monsters, and you both have control over that creature..." Reiko returned my serious glare before continuing. "We cannot discount the possibility that you are the cause; or in some people's opinions; an infected AI who's now wandering the system" Reiko grunted. "How typical... You can't explain the problem; so you try and find the easiest solution. C.C corp. isn't willing to take any of the blame... And we both know that they are the cause..." I couldn't help but laugh. "How selfish... You adults are so selfish..." I continued laughing while I shook my head at the mere thought of C.C corps Employees. "If you ever refer to me as an AI or NPC again I'll kill you off with the guardian. I think I understand Tsukasa's actions... You just want to be left alone so you can figure this problem out on your own... And annoying pests keep getting in your way..." I sighed into my palm. "Just tell me where the virus is; I'll clean it up for you" I shrugged. "Hey, I'm sticking with Stance on this one; he isn't an AI, so you should stop calling him that; it's a slap not only to his face, but those who know him in reality" Dash began. "You guys think he and Tsukasa is an AI, and while I understand how difficult it is to believe this whole situation I know for a fact that is the Stance I know, and you guys screwed up somewhere and let this virus lose on the system" Dash crossed his arms. "So if you want any cooperation I suggest you stop with the disrespect" he spat. "Personally I'd like to see him killed off" Kasey sighed. "He's an idiot, and his superiors are just going to use us" Kasey grumbled. "That is true, but we need a lead" I firmly responded. "And you think you'll get help from him?" Kasey practically mocked me. "Even the lowliest of employee on C.C Corps payroll can find information about a particular player and as payment for cleaning up your mess I want information on a particular player" I looked to Reiko and explained. "I... You... You're just going to threaten me, right?" Reiko crossed his arms and glared at me. "My sense of time isn't what it used to be. I suggest you hurry" as he had expected, I threatened him. "Right... What's the player's name?" Reiko sighed loudly before caving into my demands. "Sora, he's a twinblade" I explained. "Ha. The ever popular Sora huh? What do you want to know about him?" Reiko smirked and looked to me. "Locations, I need to find him, I need to know the locations he frequents, or how to find him. Do this for me and perhaps I won't be hesitant to answer your superiors call" I demanded. "What do you plan to do with him?" Reiko asked. "That's none of your concern is it? It's a simple deal, one that I hope you have the sense to accept, otherwise our discussion here is over and I will eject you from The World" I crossed my arms and stood firm by my decision.

"We'll be in touch"


End file.
